Review: The Hunger Games (Movie)

IMDB

 .5

Oh the movie. Much speculation was put into it, and really reviewing it right now seems like a big job to tackle. So here is what I think about it after my first watch:

I liked it. A LOT. I did, I really did, my friends were a little sceptical and they kept saying that something was missing from it. Sure some scenes were hurried along, and some details were left out, but as with any book adaptation this is BOUND to happen. Maybe if they divided every movie into two parts then fans could be completely satisfied. As for what they did with the movie, giving their limitations of the movie being told completely from Katniss' point of view, and us not being able to be constantly aware of what she is thinking, I think they did a bang up job. I really do. I enjoyed it, and I think a lot of fans will too.

Things that irked me:

1. The whole story of the pin, which I have already discussed, still bothered me.
   
   
2. Katniss didn't scream Peeta as soon as they said that two of them could win. This may be something small, a detail really, but it meant a lot. It meant that she unconsciously cared so much to put herself on risk, even if it was just for a moment.
   
   
3. Katniss and Rue didn't discuss their districts with each other at all. This helps the audience see how other districts are actually worse to live in than district 12, and it gives us information on other districts.
   
   
4. Katniss and Peeta never discussed bread. Which means that they cut the bread offered by district 11 out of the movie since the conversation didn't take place and so Katniss wouldn't understand where the bread came from. A sign of rebellion, a sign of union, all in a token of their gratitude.
   
   
5. The cornucopia looked nothing like I thought it would look. It looked very military like, and just wrong.
   
   
6. The psychological torture was missing. The whole dogs with human eyes at the end? Didn't happen. The dogs attacked them sure, but Katniss nor any other competitor noticed the eyes of the other tributes in the dogs. This was disappointing, and it really couldn't have been very difficult to attain. Some showing of the dogs eyes and then maybe rue's eyes to draw comparison and a gasp and woala! You get psychological fucked-up-ness.
   
7. Cinna. Just, no. The actor, all wrong. You sucked Lenny Kravitz.
   
   
8. Peeta didn't say "You here to finish me off sweetheart?" Which is by far the best Peeta quote so HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED IT? IT IS ONLY LINES GOD DAMN IT! Same thing as with Katniss screaming his name, it wouldn't have taken much really, just a few sounds string together.

Things that excited me:

1. The behind the scenes, scenes. It was pretty clever to show how the games worked from behind the scenes, and pretty cool to see all the gadgets and things the capitol used to make the games.
   
   
2. I am in eternal awe of Jennifer Lawrence, from now to forever. She is Katniss, there is no doubt in my mind. She is sooo amazing. The embodied her, the gazes, the actions, the way she moves... a bit of a girl crush is taking place over here. But she is so good as an actress!
   
   
3. Aw Peeta and Katniss scenes. You could see that Peeta was way more into Katniss than Katniss into Peeta. You could just see it in the little things he did. He played his role well. He really did. I think something was missing from this Peeta though, but that something is what is to come in Catching Fire. After all, The Hunger Games is just the introduction, and the next books are where the character come to grow and become the person they are to become by making choices that not only affect them but their entire world. The kiss between them had various ladies in the theatre asking for more, yours included.
   
   
4. Effie. She was DEAD ON. I swear to god she couldn't have been better (even though the plaster of white make up creeped me out; I think it was supposed to).
   
   
5. Basically if your name isn't Cinna, you played your role well. True, Haymitch could have always been a little bit drunker, but he played his role of drunk turned into mentor pretty well.
   
   
6. Gale, you were hot with your smouldering gazes. You didn't play a large role sure because you just don't on this instalment, but you made a hot impression in my mind.
   
   
7. They showed other districts actually rebelling. Fighting and stuff, things we don't get to see in the book because of the limited point of view but that we get to find out about in the next book. It was pretty neat.
   
   
8. They made it serious but at times funny. Or maybe it was just us being all geedy because WE KNEW. We knew why they did that, we read it and now we were watching it before our eyes.

So half and half. It is always easier though to point out the things that they left out, which were various. As a whole the movie kicked ass. It was a tough order to live up to. I enjoyed it. And I expect that the following movies will be building onto this one and that they will be even better.

PS; They put the song, Safe and Sound, at the end in the credits... Pissed, but I was expecting it.