Recently Seen Movies - Page 84

         To preface my review, I should note that I have read the Hunger Games trilogy and went into the movie expecting a Hollywood-ized interpretation of a young adult novel. I was quite wrong.

For the first time ever, I think a film I watched turned out better than the source material. Book fans, i mean no offence, but The Hunger Games novels are extremely engaging with a cast of excellent characters and an amazing plot - but not well written. This is where the film wins out.

    Shot in a shaky-hand held camera style to express the 'personal narrative' of the lead heroine Katniss (instead of the books rambling), The Hunger Games manages to use its unique cinematography convincingly in proving that such a style (which can be annoying at times) is necessary to convey the nature of the plot, and the perspective of our lead.  The premise of the novel can very easily be interpreted to look like an 'epic action saga' on film which would minimize the dark reality of what the Hunger Games really proposes - The film does not make this mistake. It contains its melancholy concept in its lead characters, and never allows the viewer to forget it. Backdrops of grandeur still exist though, but to show the sharp contrast between what matters and what doesn't within the society of 'Panem'. 

    The acting was superb, Jennifer Lawrence is a better Katniss than the one i read in the book. And Josh Hutcherson is Peeta Mellark. My only complaint in casting is with Woody Harleson (who portrayed Haymitch Abernatchy, a character who was supposed to have the persona of Dr.House, but instead came off like a flamboyant cowboy buffoon).  

     For the teenage audience that this film is marketed towards - I am surprised at how little the director held back, there was no sugar-coating, no cheese, and no glossing over the horrors of the society in the film. Even the lighter moments of the film were kept short and done so with an underlying sense of doom, as it was meant to be. And the traces of blossoming romance between the leads were succinct, convincing and refreshing.  The entire movie was also set to a score composed by James Newton Howard, who brilliantly infuses folk and old-world sounds and melodies to make the film more mysterious and even beautiful at times.

In all, I surprisingly really enjoyed The Hunger Games. It had a polarizing reaction by the group of people I went with, one of my friends even hated it. Personally, most of the criticism I have is towards the flaws in the general story, which is more 'book criticism' than film, so I have not mentioned it here. Either way, it exceeded my expectations. 

 

You know Tani, I'd heard of the series, but I never realized how big of a phenomenom they actually are 😆 I live in my own little world clearly 😆 

I haven't read very much yet..distracted by other things and family visits..par so far it seems interesting. Thank god for no vampires and werevoles 😆 Jennifer Lawrence was far more impressive than Stewart in the trailers alone 😆 I'll hopefully finish it very soon :))

 

The only thing that threw me off was the werid names 😆😆 This reminds of me of when one of my English teachers told me that she couldn't read HP because names like Dumbledore/Hagrid were too weird 😆 I couldn't even understand what she was talking about..and then when I heard names like Katniss and Peta, I was like..uhh I have to read about them? 😆😆 

ajay devgan should retire, he is insulting his own career, the rest spoiled rats, arshad, shreyas and kunal khemu should get admitted themselves in mental asylum, i shall pay for them defintely.

and kareena kapoor called as one of the HERO.and i believe this movie got her a filmfare nomination as well...well i am happy for her...i hope to see her as a full on tapori chewing pan and donning similar wardrobe as aamir donned in Rangeela with a cap...kareena u will nail it perfectly. 🤣 🤣

all in all such a waste of money and time...go catch other classics tht can make up for u...we all have a short life...don't waste it for such movies .. 

1/5 - 1 mark for ratna pathak shah is  amazing

 

So this was amazing. It was actually a treat to watch. So fun and fresh and beautifully shot. And a killer soundtrack to go along with it. I had been putting it of for a while as I thought it would just be another average independent film. Though the trailer makes the film look like your usual 'coming of age indie film', it is one of the best ones i've seen from that category. The main character was believable and funny, and well acted. The lead female was fantastic too - who was refreshingly not a manic pixie girl.

 

I had read 'submarine' the novel when I was much younger, and I'd say, compared to what i remember, the film is a lot less dark than the source material. Which I think was a good decision on the directors part. It captures exactly what it feels like to be an overly self-aware teenager trying to be unique who still wants to ultimatley be happy and have everything work out.

 

The color pallete in this film is sooo nice on the eyes, and everything is so well shot. there are some lovely sequences in the first half which are unforgetable. The film's humor is also quite sharp and manages to wiggle its way into even the most serious of scenes. Overall i loved it!  A must watch for both people who are past their teen years and those who are still within it.

 

An extra bonus: the director of this film is Moss from The IT Crowd (for those who watch the show).

 

4/5

 

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-WCCdkVDr4[/YOUTUBE]