I'm so glad I went at midnight! My brother and I got there around 10 and waited in a line outside for a while, listening to The Hunger Games soundtrack. Really unique, haunting songs. Ended up in a theater mostly filled with high school girls. The kind that shrieked when the Breaking Dawn Part 2 trailer played. I'm sure this is mostly due to it being a midnight showing; hopefully a wider range of ages will see it on their own time.
What I noticed most about this movie was the way it was filmed. It didn't feel like a huge blockbuster, a high budget movie. It felt smaller, grittier. The camerawork was shaky, parts felt like a documentary. The specific choices made in filming were unique. This did get tricky at times, when I couldn't focus on what was happening in action sequences. If (when...) I go again I'll sit farther back. But really brilliant.
The cast? Spectacular. I had my doubts about a lot of the actors, and was reassured over the past few months when they were so highly praised by especially Suzanne Collins. And I bought every single one of their characters. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss was so real. The movie was mostly from her perspective, and I felt exactly what she was feeling. Her trembling in the moments before going up the tube to the Games. Her hallucinations after being stung by tracker jackers. The ringing in her ears (and all of ours!) after she blows up the careers' food. Her gradual understanding of the spectacle of the Games after getting to the Capitol. I was there, I was in it.
I loved Katniss's relationship with Prim. The Reaping was horrifying, and you could have heard a pin drop in my theater. I felt the love and sacrifice so strongly. Katniss is such a strong character, and the movie shows this again and again. And Josh Hutcherson is Peeta. Seemingly weak and unsure at first, but actually strong and smart. Liam Hemsworth was a great Gale; he didn't have much of a part in the movie but several reaction shots of him watching the Games were very poignant. Woody Harrelson (Haymitch), Lenny Kravitz (Cinna), Elizabeth Banks (Effie) and especially Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman) were all brilliant.
Donald Sutherland (Pres. Snow) and Wes Bentley (Seneca Crane) had some extra dialogue and scenes that were not in the book, but they were perfect. Interspersed with the Games were moments where the Gamemakers were orchestrating everything happening in the arena. Chilling. Over and over again the audience is meant to understood that these are children forced to fight to the death and that this is horribly wrong. The violence was not glorified, and the gaudy fools of the Capitol betting on outcomes contrasted starkly with Districts 11 and 12.
I'm so glad Suzanne Collins was so involved in the screenwriting of this movie. It really shows. The film follows the book so perfectly, and the added scenes make complete sense. I noticed a couple things left out (no sleep syrup for Peeta, no mention of District 13, less interaction in the cave between Peeta and Katniss, muttations not given characteristics of fallen tributes), but they didn't take away from the film as a whole. And this movie definitely can stand on its own. The world is understandable and relatable, and even people who have not read the books should be able to appreciate it.
I cried once and it was actually during an added scene. After Rue dies, Katniss covers her with flowers and presses three fingers to her mouth and holds them out in a sign of respect to District 11, Rue's district. The scene shifts to District 11, where we see the people gathered, making the same sign back to her. Then we see Rue's father (at least, that's who I took it to be) attacking a Peacekeeper, and other scenes of riot and uprising. I strongly felt the hopelessness and injustice, as well as the gut reaction to strike back.
I could probably go on and on and on. After I see the movie again I'm sure I'll have more thoughts. But this is 12 hours after, and I'm still processing.
Please see this movie. Please read the books. They have so much to give.
2 comments:
Laura, I agree COMPLETELY with your review. The film was done beautifully. I loved the added scenes where we could watch the Gamemakers casually controlling these life-and-death circumstances. I loved how the Capitol - from the train to the penthouse - held not only a gaudy luxury, but an ugly one; it was that cheap luxury you saw in the 70s when everything was covered in velvet and psychedelic colors; that's what it reminded me of. It was a place that, for all its riches, I did NOT want to be. I loved the contrast of the depression era look of District 12 (and 11) in the clothes, the coloring, the hairstyles. And every actor was spot-on. Some of the most poignant moments for me: 1) When District 12 is completely silent during the reaping. It's downright CHILLING. You expect them to either a) pretend (I expected scattered clapping when Effie asked for it) or b) disagree (I expected murmurs and looks when Katniss volunteered) but I did NOT expect complete and utter SILENCE. It makes perfect sense and is brilliant filmmaking because it just SHAKES you how silent they are - and then when they salute Katniss...CHILLS.
2) This is a brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but when Katniss and Peeta are in the car with Effie on the way to the train there is a split second when Peeta ALMOST breaks. You can see he is trying DESPERATELY not to cry and he succeeds, but for just a moment, you see this flash of the kind of person he is AND I LOVED IT. Brilliant on Josh Hutcherson's part too. 3) Katniss shaking before entering the games - WOW. 4) And of course, when Rue dies. Katniss singing. The silence when Katniss is screaming (again; great filmmaking). When she decorates Rue with flowers. And the salute between Katniss and District 11, plus the aftermath. What a great moment to include, that tiny rebellion that hints at how the Districts will see Katniss in the future. You can already see the influence she's having without trying to. I'm very excited for the next installment. Ok, this comment has gotten WAY too long. ;-) Let's talk about the movie sometime in person!!! :-)
Yes, yes, yes! And I felt so much more seeing the movie a second time. I sat in the back, so the camerawork wasn't as distracting. And thanks for mentioning that moment with Peeta in the car. I only noticed it the second time and my breath actually caught in my throat. Now I understand when everyone said that Josh Hutcherson IS Peeta. :) Can't believe we have to wait so long for Catching Fire, and YES let's talk in detail some time!
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