The Hunger Games

[Diamond1]

Haven't seen it yet but loved the first two films.... can't wait to find out if I like it!!!! It's interesting to see all the different opinions.

[distortthecode]

Considering the half of the book it's based on they did add more action into it to help balance out but I know quite a few people are finding it boring. Personally I really enjoyed it and it's a nice counterpart to what will surely be an extremely action packed second half.

A couple of things that grated me though

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They made Coin far too likeable. I mean, she wasn't exactly likeable in the film but in the book she is a breath away from a villain and you have no sympathy for her in any measure, so to have her having heart to hearts with Katniss and finding out about her dead kids really removed that aspect for me.
Also how the war room was empty about 90% of the time, every time it appears in the books it's always full of people that Katniss doesn't know and it adds to everything going on with her.
The other thing was a gripe I had with every film and that's how they cut out her prep team. Didn't matter quite as much in the first two as they just feel like extra characters (albeit, ones who give a heart and remind your that people of the Capitol are actually people), but in this one when Katniss finds that they've been tortured for stealing a couple of slices of bread it really hits home that she's not safe anywhere.
Last gripe though was in her list of demands they didn't keep in "I kill Snow". That to me is a fairly important exchange between her and Coin and it felt like it left something hanging for me.

Despite those things (and they still get more right than the Harry Potter films did) I've gotta give it a 8.5/10
The other two are (marginally) better but it's still a fantastic watch.

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

I saw this yesterday.

Man, what a quality and engaging two hours for a film that has a ridiculous amount of nothing happening in it.

This shouldnt work, it doesn't bloody deserve to work. Come on, yet again, one book that is clearly from this film's evidence, spilt into two unnecessary parts...

...yet it somehow works. Probably because it saw how Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 bizarrely succeeded in making huge box office splash and even somehow engaged the audience.

The visual tapestry doesn't even look anywhere as beautiful (and beautifully ugly at times) as the previous films. It's just very ugly looking. Very often, the colour palette in this instalment couldn't have got any darker otherwise, I would have left my seat and inform the staff that the projector is not switched on.

So why does it work at least for me personally? Well there are several reasons, I think. A lot of the same reasons for why Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows also got away with its eye rolling split.

Firstly the narrative was compelling. That might sound like a contradiction given my "nothing much happening" comment. Yes, on the surface nothing was happening much in the way of action but a LOT was bubbling under that surface, with subtle layers of real world reflections of society. I absolutely loved that. Its nothing new but i always love a refreshing spin on such dystopian ideas. The premise might be outrageous but it has a lot of resonance to reality which itself is so outrageously unbelievable yet true.

Direction. Given the godless task of making an unengaging half a book script, compelling, calls for some fair bit of skill. First, the director needs to draw our absorption in the character journey of our protagonist and in this, he achieves it remarkably well. He also need to draw out as best performance from the actors within the limits of their roles as much as possible, again, job well done.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

I've singled this late great actor not because he steals the show or anything, no he doesn't but what he does is elevate the quality essence of every scene he is in. His presence constantly filled me reassurance. His smiles, the knowing tics he does...so effortless so...oh man what's happening ere I'm suddenly choki...I-I need to redirect my thoughts.

No I cant redirect it, oh man I didn't realise I feel this way about him. As I watched him on screen, there were moments where I just couldnt help thinking to myself "please dont disappear yet". I didn't think I was going to miss him like that, I didn't realise I even appreciated him THIS much. Is it because he's gone that I am? No. No it's not because of that, it's because he was truly a supreme talent and no matter how minor a role or how underwritten a role was, he was a bona fide professional giving the limited role whatever it demanded and making it look effortless (cynics might call such a thing as "phoning it in"...well screw that term to hell, it's called actors professionalism). And here we have no better example of what defines a great actor when he made a nothing or limited role into something of substance. Forget the great performances that he is more known for, those roles were written to flex the actors talent, which any great professional actor can inhibit. The true greatness lies in what they do with the nothing roles. And this nothing role is a prime example. Damn will miss him. I admit I wouldn't have elaborated so much if he wasn't gone but it's just how my mind is rolling right now.

Talking about professionalism, this film is actually a real showcase for what professionalism is all about. This is a surprisingly intelligent, thought provoking series but it is flooded with stereotypical roles. Again, if some of you call it "phoning it in", that's your prerogative but the main actors make their limited roles count with utmost professionalism and delivering as heartfelt performances as they can muster. Though that is also thanks to some bloody good directing.

There was a distinct lack of vibrancy in this episode which is a shame but the narrative dictated it anyway, so I can't really make it too much a negative.

OK I might turn hypocritically cynical here but is it just me that thinks the poor black dude with glasses is type casted here? I mean he is playing nearly exactly the same role as he did in Source Code! Ok the less cynical of you might say well he's really good at that sort of role...oh ok then, I accept my self inflicted counter argument, though not totally convinced!

Jennifer Lawrence

The real star of the show. The Mockingbird girl herself. She continues to hypnotise with her effortlessness to engage me with such beautiful nuances in her emotive reactions to her character's situations. While the impressive elder thespians pads the film out with quality presences, she doesn't really need them to shine and carry the whole film on her own. She sure as hell will carry the baton for the next generation of great talent, I am sure.


Film script and dialogue. The dialogue was quite superb. I loved a lot of the conversations here...and thank god for that because this film is overfilled with it. Shockingly, the film had just ONE main action scene. ONE. What the hell?!? This is a series that is about war and brutal gladiator style killings. There are odd spots of harrowing imagery reminiscinet of certain parts of the the current Middle East but action-wise. One action scene. It was actually a bloody good one though. Done in a very real world style. I hope its a taste for what will come in the final film.

So who is to blame for the the films's shortcomings? Ie being half a bloody book? Well that's obviously the producer. Everyone else, even the script writer are to be commended to make the first uneventful first half to be as captivating as this.

SO that's it. In terms of satisfaction at the end of the film, given that this is half a story, I was actually pleased that a sub plot had at least reached a very good "apparent conclusion". No doubt, this film will really split opinions and for damn good reason too. I cant believe I am going to give this a reasonably high personal rating but when I left the cinema, I was strangely satisfied, humming a haunting tune that a certain character sings (I wont say who, I dont want to spoil the suprise). A lot lingered on my mind. I loved the film and I am really loving this dystopian franchise that just oozes quality despite the money making decision to stretch the last book (which I have not read btw)

And sorry to have got sappy about Hoffman, I had no idea I would feel that way about him.

A personal 8/10

[weliveandbreathewords]

Everything in your spoiler bit distortthecode, is spot on how I feel/

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I actually hate the fact they added in about Coin's family because its not mentioned in the book)from what I remember) and they show none of her strictness apart from when she says no to her demands initially.
The only good thing they did add was Effie, though Im annoyed at the severe lack of octavia and flavius and even johanna! blink and youll miss it much?

[raj101]

katniss's sister looks very passably like a young Shailene Woodly/girl from Divergent.

[stuartboy]

OK. So I saw this tonight courtesy of sweetie-sunday. I have to say that I feel that I saw it prematurely. I'm re-reading the first book and wanted to finish the second book before I saw this. Unfortunately due to this being the second last Sweet Sunday, and also the fact that there was literally nothing else that I could see today that I haven't already seen at Cineworld, this was it.
As others have said, it really could have done with a recap. The Hunger Games I have seen maybe three times and read twice, so I have an inkling as to what happened. Catching Fire I have only seen once and read nunce, and with that being a year ago I struggled to recall much about what happened. This really is like watching an episode of a TV show then having to wait a year for the next episode. Not very satsisfactory for sure.
That said this movie was no disappointment. All rather grey jumpsuit though, with lashings of concrete rubble.

As this is Part 1 and as such not whole I am going to defer scoring it until Part 2 comes out.

Out of interest....why on earth could they not release the second part simultaneously? I mean it would sav them on the marketing costs for both films, and they would still get all the box office revenue as they would with splitting by a year, simply as everyone who pays to see the first part will then p*y to see the second part - either straight away or maybe a week later.

[The Sparrow]

OK. So I saw this tonight courtesy of sweetie-sunday. I have to say that I feel that I saw it prematurely. I'm re-reading the first book and wanted to finish the second book before I saw this. Unfortunately due to this being the second last Sweet Sunday, and also the fact that there was literally nothing else that I could see today that I haven't already seen at Cineworld, this was it.
As others have said, it really could have done with a recap. The Hunger Games I have seen maybe three times and read twice, so I have an inkling as to what happened. Catching Fire I have only seen once and read nunce, and with that being a year ago I struggled to recall much about what happened. This really is like watching an episode of a TV show then having to wait a year for the next episode. Not very satsisfactory for sure.
That said this movie was no disappointment. All rather grey jumpsuit though, with lashings of concrete rubble.

As this is Part 1 and as such not whole I am going to defer scoring it until Part 2 comes out.

Out of interest....why on earth could they not release the second part simultaneously? I mean it would sav them on the marketing costs for both films, and they would still get all the box office revenue as they would with splitting by a year, simply as everyone who pays to see the first part will then p*y to see the second part - either straight away or maybe a week later.

I bet you they will show part 1 again as a double bill so that people will p*y to see it again before watching part 2.

[raj101]

helps rake in money from people who tend to go to the cinema mainly as a xmas treat.

HG is far from a feelgood xmas movie mind!

[stuartboy]

I should also have mentioned regarding this year between episodes thing: this is not helped by having other similar genre multi-part films in between such as Maze Runner and Divergent. This just serves to confuse. I do think it unfair of film companies to rely on us to have to read, re-read or re-watch just to revise prior to a new screening.

[raj101]

its highly unfair. a film is a film. not looking forward to triparters in the future, I am sure they will come.

Meanwhile I continue to be totally amazed no one has cashed in making a Hunger Games MMRP or xbox/ps4 convert