Yuku free message boards

I also just saw The Hunger Games (2012). I actually thought it raised the bar of book-movie adaptation simply because it defied the convention of having a mere first person POV. That alone made it stand out among all the new wave film adaptations. Having read the book, there was no element of surprise for me anymore since I already knew what was going to happen. I kept anticipating all the other pit stops in the book so it was tricky to review this.

Right away it saved time by opening with exposition using text as opposed to creating scenes that would have felt laborious like how The Da Vinci Code did. This was a success in execution as the film just took off once they got their exposition over with. The scenes at District 12 felt very similar to Jewish concentration camps what with the flat dead colors and everyone's collective somber expression. Initially I thought JLaw looked a little plump to be Katniss but she won me over in the end with her ability to look both regal and tomboy at the same time, while still maintaining her likability factor. The whole Reaping scene was haunting. They've been using "I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" as their principal marketing tool but it still worked on screen.

Katniss's entourage was faaaaaaabulous. Elizabeth Banks nailed her role as Effie. She just seemed like she was having so much fun--from her gaudy costume design and makeup to her HBIC lines. ":-O That is mahogany!" Lenny Kravitz was an unexpected casting choice for Cinna but he embodied the character's quiet conviction. Woody Harrelson's wig was distracting but I had no complaints with him as his character just faded in the background eventually. Josh Hutcherson (the franchise whore) was a predictable casting choice for Peeta, but I liked the familiarity he brought to the film. No, he wasn't the most handsome nor did he have the height, but he had enough charisma and boyish innocence to complement JLaw's tough persona.

The train scenes looked a little cheap and cramped. The food looked ordinary. But the production design for the Capitol was cool, colorful, clean, and just plain grand. I especially loved the exterior shots. One of the main highlights of the movie was the anticipation of seeing Katniss with her costume on fire, and boy, it did not disappoint. I loved how the camera slowly panned out from her face until we completely saw Katniss in the carriage. She reminded me of a modern-day Cleopatra.

Another clever thing they did was opening the movie with Stanley Tucci's interview scene. That served as a connecting thread that the film followed through until the end. The training scenes felt a bit drab but it served its purpose, which was to introduce Cato, Rue, and assure the viewers that Katniss will be just fine. The broadcast scenes (from Seneca's control room to Caesar's commentary) were all masterful. It was extreme satire presented in luminous eye candy. The first half of the film worked.

The second half, not so much. There was too much shaky cam AND extreme close-ups; it amped up the tension but diminished the intimacy as most direct contacts became a massive blur. The build-up was intense; countdowns always work. The pacing was surprisingly brisk as they were able to go from one kill to the next while still keeping the audience aware of the timeline. President Snow's gardening scenes didn't work for me because it lost his character's aura of power and also disrupted the flow. Showing the children kill each other was shocking but could have been more intensified; yes there was blood but the camera never lingered. Cato worked well as the main villain as you really got to know him. Rue's death didn't affect me as much because she had minimal airtime and the funeral scene just went a little too long. There suddenly was a choir of coughing in the theatre though. The scene that got me choked up was the uprising. Smart decision on the writer's part to include that. Quick notes also: I was expecting Glimmer's face to be more brutal; I appreciated that the "balls of fire" were really balls of fire that were palpable; Foxface was PERFECT, loved her tiptoeing on the mines, exactly like how I imagined it; I didn't like her and Rue's brother death, it felt like they just wanted to get them over with right away.

The film went out on a whimper with the "finale", which was its weakest element. The dogs felt forced, as if they just appeared for the sake of having a suspenseful climax. The "STOP! STOP!" by the announcer bothered me in the book; it bothered me in the movie, as if the rollercoaster just came to a screeching halt.

Overall, 8/10. I will see it again. And again. And again.