Re: What was the last movie you watched?
The Hunger Games (2012)
Well, I'll admit I'm pretty biased about this series. I've never liked The Hunger Games; the idea of marketing a book about kids killing other kids to kids disgusts me. (Yes, I realize this is primarily a teen book, but it still isn't much of a stretch to assume that younger kids might read it as well.) I did read part of the first book, but I didn't think it was anything amazing.
Anyway, while the film itself wasn't horrible, it wasn't anything particularly special. The storyline was pretty straightforward and predictable. The set and costume designs, though some of the futuristic sets were cool, weren't anything new or original, and sometimes rather weird. The Peacekeepers look like they're wearing rejected Star Wars uniform designs and high-tech hard hats. As for the camera, there was so much shaky-cam it was actually physically painful to watch at times.
The film itself is pretty cursory; we're never told why The Hunger Games take place, why the Districts haven't long since rebelled against the government; and, we're never truly horrified at the fact that teenagers are being forced to kill each other for entertainment (which I thought is supposed to be the whole point of the film). The love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale is a huge cliche; again, nothing new there.
Also, there are loads of plot holes throughout the film:
Spoiler (click to read)
Nobody questions how Katniss apparently managed to become Panem's version of Wilhelm Tell, despite the fact that weapons are banned in District 12 (as mentioned in the book and suggested by the fact she hides her bow in the woods)
Spoiler (click to read)
Peeta manages to disguise himself to completely blend in with his surroundings; even with the futuristic technology, this would still probably take hours upon hours of painstaking work, which, given the facts he'd have very little experience in that sort of thing, and several other people are doing their utmost to kill him, would make that pretty much impossible.
Spoiler (click to read)
When Katniss is stuck in the tree, Rue randomly materializes out of nowhere and points out a Tracker-Jacker nest she's never actually noticed before. Rather Deus ex Machina. Then she's knocked out for several days by a few Tracker-Jacker stings, yet virtually all of the other people (excluding the girl with the bow) who got stung many more times than her when the nest fell on them seem perfectly fine. Also, when Rue dies, Katniss spends ages collecting flowers, despite the fact that the others could return at any time. Even if she was deliberately trying to win the sympathy of District 11, doing that would still be extremely risky to the point of being suicidal.
All in all, while the film wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, I fail to see why it ever became so popular.
5/10
Last edited by Mr Vertigo (January 21, 2013 (06:17am))
&Smeagol make the most of being surrounded by single, educated women your own age on a regular basis in college
AquaMorph I dunno women are expensive