The Hunger Games
Published 2012-09-16
Film info
- Title The Hunger Games
- Director Gary Ross
- Year 2012
- Run time 2hr 22m
- Genres Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Tagline May the odds be ever in your favor
- Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place and must rely upon her sharp instincts when she’s pitted against highly trained Tributes who have prepared their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:11 | I am wondering how much, if any, of this I will have to explain to Mr C. Also wondering if I can remember any of it! |
| 3:23 | Wobbly camerawork ahoy. |
| 5:42 | She's a bit Legolas with the arrows! |
| 9:07 | It's weird seeing the juxtaposition of the "city" against the "poor" on screen. I guess I imagined it a bit different. |
| 12:44 | Loving her crazy colour against the grey. |
| 19:06 | That pin didn't work, really, did it. Certainly didn't protect the girl from her name being called out! |
| 24:39 | I'd like to go on that train... if it didn't lead to imminent death. |
| 32:01 | It's like the Olympics Opening Ceremony. |
| 33:48 | It's a good job they were last, I wouldn't have fancied travelling behind them and their flames! |
| 50:42 | The amount of food they have is almost disgusting. Also, they are sitting on Big Brother style chairs. |
| 53:15 | So, at some indeterminate point in the future, no one has a normal name anymore. |
| 59:17 | That interviewer can handle anything! |
| 1:04:07 | You can see why he turned to drink, the whole process is awful. |
| 1:08:04 | Seems like split screen coverage is big in the future. |
| 1:09:58 | Oh, I see, jerky camerawork so as not to show too much gore. |
| 1:13:34 | This is all reality shows melded into one. Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity. |
| 1:18:28 | It's one thing to turn her around, but they're practically trying to kill her themselves. |
| 1:25:30 | Like wasps aren't bad enough, we have to genetically engineer them. |
| 1:36:35 | They seem like really nice arrows. Strong-like. |
| 1:45:20 | That man's beard is ridiculous. |
| 1:46:12 | The rose garden thing is just like the Queen of Hearts. |
| 1:52:48 | Last time he said that would be the only announcement. |
| 2:06:45 | For a minute there, I was worried she would shoot him in the eye. |
| 2:12:16 | Ooh, the train. I forgot. |
Thoughts
I read these books a while back, and I was very curious about what the film versions would be like. There's a trend for making young adult series' into movies and they seem to do pretty well, so the pressure on The Hunger Games was going to be huge! Mr C hasn't read them, and wasn't aware of any of the plot, so I thought it would be interesting to see what it's like from the point of view of someone in the know, and someone not.
I thought it was good - there wasn't very much about it that didn't fit with my expectations from the book. They crammed a lot of story in there, it felt like it could have been a four hour movie, but I was glad it wasn't. It was long enough! I did think there were some gaps at the start of the story - the hunger felt more acute in the book, and the reasons behind putting your name in the bowl more times than necessary. I didn't like the wobbly camera work, but it made sense after a while, to distill the violence and up the adrenaline! Overall, good, and Mr C was left intrigued what could be left for the sequel.
Rating: 4 / 5