Hunger Games

Post by **Lalaith** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:41 pm

Well? Has anyone else seen it? I went last night with my daughter. (I dragged Katie along, too.) I'm curious as to your impressions especially if you've read the books. I have not read the books, and I was sort of meh about the movie.

Post by **Holbytla** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:17 am

I finished the first book today, and I liked it quite a bit. There were spots that I wasn't crazy about and I thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but overall I liked the characters and plot. There was some depth to the story, and I felt a connection to the overall themes and people.

We just got back from seeing the movie, and it was OK. Just OK. What made the book good for me was missing or diminished in the movie. It was a fairly faithful adaptation, but I just thought it was meh.

Post by **Lalaith** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:40 am

Sarah also seemed kind of let down about the movie. I felt bad for her, actually, because she had been so hyped up about seeing the movie. She said the books were definitely better.

But it's not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination. It's, as you say, just okay.

Post by **Holbytla** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:00 am

Two of my kids went with us to see it and they had't read the books and liked it. They weren't thrilled with it or anything, but thought it was decent.
It is a decent movie, but he could have done more.

The shaky camera drove me a bit crazy though.

Post by **Lalaith** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:08 am

Yeah, that was annoying at times, for sure.

Post by **Frelga** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:58 am

My son saw it Friday. Same report - good movie but not amazing. Now he is in a cynical stage and nothing is amazing, but still.

He did read the books and liked them, but he is not a fandom kind of guy.

Post by **Lalaith** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:26 pm

Ah, the cynical stage. I know that well.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:45 am

Saw it tonite knowing nearly nothing about it. It was a well made and well acted movie, but the premises behind the story are amongst the very dumbest i've ever seen in a movie. It's all so unfathomably unrealistic that I found it impossible to invest in any of the nonsensical goings on.

Post by **Alatar** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:49 am

yovargas wrote:Saw it tonite knowing nearly nothing about it. It was a well made and well acted movie, but the premises behind the story are amongst the very dumbest i've ever seen in a movie. It's all so unfathomably unrealistic that I found it impossible to invest in any of the nonsensical goings on.

Totally unrelated, and I haven't seen Hunger Games yet, but I stumbled across Bridalplasty on TV last night and thought pretty much the same thing. Seriously, doesn't this look like a far out sci fi premise from 20 years ago:

Premise

The show follows 12 engaged women who are competing for the wedding of their dreams and their dream plastic surgery procedure. Each woman must complete a plastic surgery wish list and complete wedding-themed challenges in order to win the surgery of her choice. The winner of the week's challenge gets one plastic surgery procedure from her wish list.

The winner of the competition will get a wedding of her dreams and multiple plastic surgeries from her wish list. The husband will not see his fiancee until the wedding day, when the bride reveals her new look.

Post by **River** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:28 am

Saw it tonight. It held my attention, at least. S didn't fall asleep and that's a positive sign.

Hidden text.

Post by **Holbytla** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 12:41 pm

yovargas wrote:Saw it tonite knowing nearly nothing about it. It was a well made and well acted movie, but the premises behind the story are amongst the very dumbest i've ever seen in a movie. It's all so unfathomably unrealistic that I found it impossible to invest in any of the nonsensical goings on.

That is where I thought the adaptation was lacking. What made me like the book, was mostly glossed over or left out in the movie. There was too much game and not enough hunger depicted, and the connection to the characters and story suffered because of that.

And I didn't get to take a nap either, which is about my favorite thing to do at the movies.

I still liked the movie though.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:11 pm

Holbytla wrote:
yovargas wrote:Saw it tonite knowing nearly nothing about it. It was a well made and well acted movie, but the premises behind the story are amongst the very dumbest i've ever seen in a movie. It's all so unfathomably unrealistic that I found it impossible to invest in any of the nonsensical goings on.
That is where I thought the adaptation was lacking. What made me like the book, was mostly glossed over or left out in the movie. There was too much game and not enough hunger depicted, and the connection to the characters and story suffered because of that.

I seriously can't imagine the book being able to give a reason for the existence of this utterly idiotic and pointless tournament that I would buy for a second.

Post by **Holbytla** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:31 pm

Suspension of disbelief I guess. Yeah I guess it was a stretch even in the book, but really no more than being able to hyperspace across the universe, put on a cape and fly or fight a fiery eye atop a tower.

It reminded me of a 1984-ish or Brave New World dystopia, so the fact that it had an unbelievable game in it, really didn't bother me.
Running Man? Rollerball?

Post by **axordil** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:58 pm

It helps if you think of the story as an allegory for high school.

Because it totally is.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 3:33 pm

[quote="axordil"]It helps if you think of the story as an allegory for high school./quote]

High school has a purpose.

Post by **Lalaith** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 3:56 pm

Alatar, that sounds ridiculous and disturbing.

yovi, I do think this was a major plot weakness (the cause for the games). Even Sarah had a difficult time explaining to me why these games took place, and she's read the books twice. But it doesn't require any more suspension of belief than any other sci fi or fantasy book, imo. It's just that I didn't think the movie was all that great.

Hidden text.

Maybe the second movie will be better.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:10 pm

I've had several people say that about "it doesn't require any more suspension of belief than any other sci fi or fantasy book, imo" and I'm really very surprised people say that. The very fundamental core of the story is wildly implausible and unexplained. This isn't "in the future, we can travel faster than light". It's "in the future, humans no longer behave like actual humans".

My (least) favorite example of the wildly baffling, utterly non-human behavior is that there are riots after Ru dies - but not, apparently, while she's kidnapped, or imprisoned, and when her hopeless future is paraded in front of them all for their entertainment. In anything resembling a real world populated by real humans, the districts would be non-stop chaos and riots because real humans don't calmly stand by while you murder their children.

Post by **Holbytla** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:12 pm

Well, this is a stretch too I guess, but

Hidden text.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:27 pm

Right. So this tournament is pretty much the greatest way to foster rebellion and civil war ever devised and do they do it cuz.....watching teens die from dehydration is fun?

Post by **axordil** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:30 pm

yovargas wrote:
axordil wrote:It helps if you think of the story as an allegory for high school./quote]

High school has a purpose.

Which is incidental to what it often accomplishes.