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The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth
Directed by: Gary Ross
Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins
Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins

     If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.
     In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.
     I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.
     If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters look absolutely ridiculous and are way too flashy, but the make-up is very good.  All of the characters except for the main characters are very colorful, wearing flashy clothing and having oddly colored hair.  It is as if they look almost alien.
     I've noticed that in a lot of epic and action movies such as this, the camera is often shaky and can sometimes make one get dizzy at times.  In this film, this is only the case during the action and fight sequences.  There are a few scenes in which the camera is so shaky that it is nearly impossible to see the characters fighting each other.  This is only a problem if you see the movie up close, in ETX (enhanced theater experience), or IMAX.
     I like that the basic storyline is short, but there are a lot of details that make it a longer movie.  This makes it easy to follow while still being entertaining.  The film runs almost two and a half hours long and it doesn't feel like you've been sitting there for that long, even though the film is pretty slowly paced.
     Overall, I expect this to be one of the highest grossing films of 2012.  It is very entertaining, even for someone like me who is yet to read the book.  And yes, I plan to read the book at some point.  Although it may not be the first epic film of the year, it is certainly the most successful, and better than the epic John Carter released back on March 9.  This film truly seems larger than life.
     I give The Hunger Games an A-.

Comments

  1. Great review. I share many of the same thoughts as you do about the movie. You might want to consider redoing the blog's theme though. the flames are a little lame

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  2. The film doesn’t really get going until they actually do get to The Hunger Games, but when it does get started up its entertaining, tense, unpredictable, and very well executed from Gary Ross. I also couldn't believe that this was his 3rd film after other flicks such as Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, which are both good but are different from this one. Still though, great jobs from everybody involved and I cannot wait for the sequel. Good review Matthew.

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