Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Review: Hunger Games

Directed by     Gary Ross

Starring     
Jennifer Lawrence
Josh Hutcherson
Liam Hemsworth
Woody Harrelson
Elizabeth Banks
Lenny Kravitz
Stanley Tucci
Donald Sutherland

From the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins

Games is a post apocalyptic very reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.   So much so in fact that if you are familiar with the story at all, you may find it distracting you from the movie as a whole.  But in fact, I can think of several classics that can be used as a comparison.  Say for instance, Brave New World, Many of the scenes are the “country rube” reacting to the “huge” city.  You can even see some of “The Demolition Man” mixed in.  So yes, my very first comment about the film is that it is derivative.   It is like Survivor gone mental.

But, back to the movie.  It is called Hunger Games because it seems (but poorly explained)  that the Districts that participated in an uprising were and are still being controlled by “starvation” or hunger if you would.  To reinforce the hunger stranglehold, each district must pay tribute of two children who must fight the other districts to the death.  

Alliances are made, unlikely loves grow and in the end a heavily telegraphed ending.  

Based on what I have read, there are already plans in the work for a 2 and 3 and by the performance in the box office, they should do ok.  

But in all honesty, if you are a Science Fiction fan, this movie will fall flat for you right from the premise.  It is supposed to be hundreds of years in the future, which is not borne up in the tech or even society...Far less adventurous films have done far far better at portraying a future society, like the fifth element or Priest.  

Hunger Games did not leave me hungry for more.  Poorly executed and ill conceived plus the extras on the rental are non-existent!  A 7 at best.  If you have unlimited rentals or streams, watch it on a big screen, otherwise give it a pass.

1 comment:

kallamis said...

Actually, I read she was signed for 3 sequels they said. This was a while back, so who knows for sure now.
I'd have given it a 7.5, but I didn't read the books so...
I only give the new spidey movie a 6. No J. Jonah, etc.
A good movie basically, but you just have to have Jameson running amok to have a good spidey movie.
And Sally Field as Aunt May, no. Just, no. Not for me.