The Hunger Games

Let me start by saying...I have not read the books. I would like to read the books...it's something that would be nice to do with all that spare time I have laying around. (Note to self...find spare time lying around.)

I know exactly what drew me to The Hunger Games...the absurdity of the fashion. I had to see what this was about...and boy did I get WAY more than I bargained for. It really surprised me, since this movie has been billed as the next Twilight. Yes, I saw the last two Twilight's...and I liken them to a REALLY bad Lifetime movie. I actually burst out laughing in the second one. Just. Ridiculous.

I would say if Twilight ever grew up (not happening) it would want to be The Hunger Games. There is so  much going on. I was blown away by the set designers, and the costume designers. The contrast between the 12 Districts (think Coal Miner's Daughter) and Panem (think Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette) was mind boggling. I literally could not take my eyes off it.

The whole divide of the haves vs the have nots, and the willingness of the have nots to be controlled by the haves is frighteningly sad. While the plot of children battling in a fight to the death on air as entertainment is horrifying, the director handles the violence very well. It is tragic and sad, but not graphic. I suspect that was to keep it's PG 13 rating, which was fine with me, because I really didn't need any more in that arena.

I was riveted by the role of media and TV manipulation to not report the truth, but rather to tell the most marketable story. The role of the stylist as the driving factor for like ability and survival in the games fascinated me. Lenny Kravitz kicked a$$ as Cinna. His best line was the purpose of your dress is to be "unforgettable"...and all of the costumes certainly are. I'm telling you...go for the costumes...they are the star of the show.

Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson and Wes Bentley were riveting on screen. Completely stunned, by Elizabeth Bank's performance as Effie Trinket, is an understatement. Had I not known it was here...I never would have guessed.

It's a really smart movie which draws from TV, fashion, media, and the divide between the 1% and the rest of us, and pushes that to the extreme. While it's two and half hours long, it was over in a blink, and left me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one.

2 comments

  1. When my husband told me that was Elizabeth Banks I about fell out of my movie chair. The costume and casting were great but some of the cinematography bothered me. Still a pretty good movie though.

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  2. Now I really want to see it. I read the first book and am almost done with the second. I've been holding off on the movie until I was done with the third (I don't like other people's interpretation of the details muddling what I have in my head until I'm done), but I'm slow and I fear it will be gone from the theaters before I'm ready.

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