I saw The Hunger Games last night. If this were a straight up review I'd give it two thumbs up, 3.5 stars out of 4. I have been analyzing the storyline ever since I left the theater to try and reconcile what I'm thinking.
First of all, I went into the movie totally "blind." By that I mean that I had never read the books nor had I really even heard of the series before the movie buzz sent people all aflutter. Naturally, the plot left me intrigued. I would say that I am in the minority of movie-goers for this film though. I went with a substantial group, and I was the only person to not have read the books. My fellow movie buffs concluded that the movie represented the book well. Ok, great, but that means nothing to me. Anyway, the point is that as someone who had no prior experience with this story, it is still well worth the $46 dollars or whatever it is to go to the movies.
I felt that I could mainly follow what was going on without knowing what to expect. I needed one or two things clarified from the Hunger experts I was with. That's not all bad though. It wasn't super complex. Sometimes you just need a little context. The story itself is such a crazy idea. I love it. Citizens be damned, we demand two teenagers from your district battle to the death in our completely fabricated arena fraught with whatever obstacles we throw at you. I wish I had come up with it. That has to be the most cold-blooded punishment ever. The death of children is a touchy subject in society. Yet the most popular movie in America is about children trying to survive certain doom for the entertainment of the entire viewing public. It's not like they are enslaving adults and making them work for peanuts. No, we will feed you when 23 other children die. Wow. In. Tense.
Secondly, the whole plot is simply a giant reality show production. The Hunger Games is futuristic reality TV for the enjoyment of couch potatoes everywhere. I don't know how much reality TV I watch, but I do know that it is substantial. I know full well very little of any of those shows are actually reality. They are driven by producers trying to get the most bang for their buck. That's exactly what's happening in The Hunger Games. Not only are all these kids sent into the wilderness arena to try and off each other, but Game management is also going to add some crazy demon-wolf things that look like the gargoyle-dogs from Ghostbusters. They just throw them into the fray at will. The producers also change the rules as they go along. Like any upper management member, they operate as they see fit. Anything to make the viewership increase. Anything to entertain. The Hunger Games is very much like American TV during the present day. It's all about putting the best product out there. It's all about surviving (ahem) in a competitive TV market.
I would be lying if I said I didn't get into the love story aspect of The Hunger Games. There's all this cool action going on, and I get into the sappy shit. I can't help it. Some things never change. But anyway, I was totally pulling for the Katniss/Peeta lovebird angle. I mean seriously, how could she deny him? If you ever saw Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock you realize how emotionally attached people get under intense circumstances. The drain on you physically and emotionally must be insane trying to avoid death. When you find someone you wish to keep alive along with you, it sort of means something. My issue is that I heard I'm not supposed to keep my hopes up. I don't know what that means, but it's a bit of a downer. There's a silly love triangle right now and it's probably all going to get blown to shit. But the fact that the love story is what roped me in about half way through the movie is a credit to the movie. Or a discredit to me. Either way, I cheered internally when she laid one on him. Shut up.
I should probably read the other books now since my whistle has been whetted. But all good things come to those who wait. So it could be another year and a half or two years before I get my fill again. I do prefer moving pictures to words on a page. We'll see. Welcome to my radar, Jennifer Lawrence. You're the new Hollywood hotness. May the odds be ever in my favor.
No comments:
Post a Comment