Monday, March 26, 2012

Review: The Hunger Games

IMDb


Title: The Hunger Games
Distributor: Color Force
Director: Gary Ross
Writer(s): Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (screenplay)
Staring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens.
Running Time: 142 min
Synopsis: Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.


What Others Are Saying?

Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 85% (Fresh), Top Critics: 80% (Fresh), Audience: 88% (Like It)
Metacritic: Critics: 67 out of 100, Users:7.5 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 73 out of 100
My Review

Source Material:  Based on the book with the same name written by Suzanne Collins .


Entertaining Value:
  • Action Elements: This movie had some really good action. It wasn't necessarily "action pack" but it kept you entertained.
  • Comedy Elements: I don't won't to ruin it for anyone but there is two or three actor that makes there scene funny to watch, even though this film not mean to be a comedy.
  • Dramatic Elements: The drama come in two forms, slight love story and psychological turmoil to kill another human.  
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: The Sci-Fi elements are there because the film take place in the future. But this future seems lived in or dated and at times retro.  
Cinematic Value:
  • Acting and Dialogue: 8: The performance are solid. Jennifer Lawrence was very good. I sold on her as an actress, so far, X-men: First Class now The Hunger Games. There were some actor I wish I could mention but it will ruin it a tad bit, but they were awesome like usual.    
  • Art Direction: 8: Personally I really like how the "world" or future world was more or less retro 80's meets aristocratic fashion. I also like the portrayal of social class or "districts" in the fashion and art. 
  • Cinematography: 7: Overall it was well done, there was some issues was shake cam here and there. 
  • Direction: 7: I felt the film started off a bit on the slow side but it pick up pace fairly quickly. The ending was a minor let down but I didn't read the book before hand so I don't know whats to come.  
  • Editing: 7.5: Personally I say kudos cause with a "fight to the death" type of film death is spelled with a capital "D" meaning lots of blood and guts. This film did tastefully enough to keep PG-13 rating but still keep that edge.   
  • Screenplay: 8: I really like the post apocalyptic, fight to the death for entertainment sub-genre concept over other  post apocalyptic genres. I thought the love story aspect of the film were on the week side but again I didn't read the books. This could have be one of the detail that were cut in the adaption phase. 
  • Sound and Music: 7.5: The music worked for the film but did pop as much as I wanted to.
  • VFX: 8: I already said I liked the "style" of this film. Well the VFX had a major helping hand in that process I assume. It was future but lived in. It was a future that seem not to distant from now.   
Overall: 7.5: I can say I enjoy this movie and honestly it was worth the money spent on it. One of my friends who read the books said that one of closest adaptions he saw in long while, so that's a plus. He said some of the casting where spot on. You may look at my rating and see it as on the low side, but I'm comparing it to the other major young adult fiction adapted books. I would have to rank them cinematically this way 1. Lord of the Rings 2. Harry Potter 3. The Hunger Games 4. Narnia 5 Every Other Movie That Fits The Category...100. Twilight      

Post Apocalyptic, Fight to the Death for Entertainment Sub-Genre Rant

Before I give my formal review on The Hunger Games, I want to make something clear. Movies or any other form of storytelling is always going to be based off a story already told. There is actually a word for this, is called an archetype. With that being said, guess what, The Hunger Games, and Battle Royal are built upon the same archetypes, therefore both movies will have similar themes, motifs and symbolic undertones. It happens to be that both movies are built on the roman ideal of entertainment known as “gladiators” For those of you who don’t know a gladiator was usually a slave or prisoner who was given the opportunity to fight to the death for their freedom. These gladiators would fight in coliseum as a specter sport. Take the “fight to the death” style of sport and mix it with reality television and what do you get, the plot of numerous movies today, let’s name a few. Besides, The Hunger Games, and Battle Royal, there is at least three films I can name right off the top of my head: The Condeemned (2007), Death Race (2008), and Gamer (2009). I know some of these maybe a stretch like Gamer because of mind control factor, but the fight to the death for entertainment theme is still there. I guess my main point here is that I kind of tired of hearing “This movie is exactly like that movie” Can anyone tell me what the difference between this list of movies are: Avatar, Dance with Wolves, The Last Samurai, Dune, Lawrence of Arabia, Fernguly, and Pocahontas.