04-01-2012, 05:10 PM
My sister-in-law recommended the book to me during our xmas visit. I finished it in a couple of sittings. The author really knows how to keep a fast pace and cliff-hanger chapter endings. It's great pop-fiction in the style of Stephen King (without the constant Ramones references).
The film follows the book pretty closely. A wealthy,powerful nation oppresses neighboring 'districts', forcing them to provide food, energy and other commodities to the 'Capitol'. At some point in the past the districts rebelled but were violently quelled. To keep the memory of the failed rebellion fresh the Capitol holds a lottery in each district, one boy and one girl are picked to represent their district in a fight to the death - The Hunger Games.
The acting was very good, although a few of the 'teen' characters looked to be well into their twenties. The 'shaky cam' was used throughout the movie to give a sense of realism and to make it harder to see the brutal violence. At first I found it irritating but eventually got used to it.
The sets and costumes were much how I imagined them from the novel. The districts were grey and depressing. The Capitol magnificent, it's people colorful to the point of absurd. Think Moebius meets The Wizard of Oz.
Dee Dee and I both enjoyed it and are looking forward to the sequel. I would recommend reading the book first. There is quite a bit of backstory that didn't make it into the film.
The film follows the book pretty closely. A wealthy,powerful nation oppresses neighboring 'districts', forcing them to provide food, energy and other commodities to the 'Capitol'. At some point in the past the districts rebelled but were violently quelled. To keep the memory of the failed rebellion fresh the Capitol holds a lottery in each district, one boy and one girl are picked to represent their district in a fight to the death - The Hunger Games.
The acting was very good, although a few of the 'teen' characters looked to be well into their twenties. The 'shaky cam' was used throughout the movie to give a sense of realism and to make it harder to see the brutal violence. At first I found it irritating but eventually got used to it.
The sets and costumes were much how I imagined them from the novel. The districts were grey and depressing. The Capitol magnificent, it's people colorful to the point of absurd. Think Moebius meets The Wizard of Oz.
Dee Dee and I both enjoyed it and are looking forward to the sequel. I would recommend reading the book first. There is quite a bit of backstory that didn't make it into the film.
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