The Hunger Games

I saw this the other night. I thought it was pretty good. I hadn't heard of the books until I had heard of the film in production. I enjoyed the silly bright fashions of the city and the drab grey in the authoritarian districts. I liked that as well as the same old REALITY TV stuff, it seemed to focus on, and be headed more towards looking at oppressive states. Also good female leads. I'll probably go and watch any more films of it they make as I'm guessing there's more retaliation/brutality against the district after the state got humiliated.

Are people calling it a Battle Royale rip off?

It's a story that's been told a bunch of times. eg

Series 7: the contenders did a similar thing a year after Battle Royale
The 10th victim did a similar thing in 1965

I wouldn't be too fussed
 
Fenris said:
I'm not going to see this for the same reason I haven't read the books.

I grew out of teen fiction when I stopped being a teenager.

I mean really some of the people arguing about this are older than me, how about instead of getting angry that someone doesn't like a book you like (ignoring the fact it is a book meant for teenagers) why don't you go out and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of age appropriate literature that is just waiting for you to get involved.

Look, by all means read this stuff and if you enjoy it then that's great, but for the love of god remember the fact that the books are not meant for you, it will save you allot for time and embarrassment when you decide to try and justify your interest in them.
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Presumably I should throw out my copies of Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Files and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings? :rolleyes:

Just because a story is marketed at the teen market, it does not make it childish or stupid in some way - it means its content is considered suitable and engaging for that market, and will probably feature a teenage protagonist. Much like the 2002 Spiderman film (rated 12A). I assume I should have avoided that too?

To dismiss all teen books off-hand means you have missed out on some truly fantastic books - such as Michael Grant's Gone series, Charlie Higson's The Dead, Garth Nix's Sabriel trilogy, Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars - plus one of the most accomplished debut horror novels I have ever read, Dean Vincent Carter's The Hand of the Devil. Not forgetting books like Stephen King's The Body (better known as Stand By Me) or The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon; Clive Barker's Thief of Always or Abarat

Story has nothing to do with what age it's aimed at, it's about emotional impact - Toy Story 3 and Wall-E run rings around Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Descendants in terms of both storytelling and emotional impact - doesn't matter that they're kids films.

I think you'll find most people are pulling the film up because the actual Hunger Games are really quite a minor part of the overall story - the book trilogy is much more of a political drama which the actual games themselves feature in to show how the world works, and to move Katniss from her district.

Last question....if I shouldn't read teen books because I'm too old, should I avoid The Color Purple because I'm not black?
 
Wow Gustov is crazy! Makes me a little worried about posting my opinion or he'll hunt me down and kill me :p:(

I thought it was guff. It isn't Twilight in that there are no vampires etc but in every other way it tries so hard to be a teeny angst ridden journey and oh good lord was it painful.

The Missus thought it was good but that about sums up how bad it was for me :p
 
No1newts said:
Wow Gustov is crazy! Makes me a little worried about posting my opinion or he'll hunt me down and kill me :p:(

I thought it was guff. It isn't Twilight in that there are no vampires etc but in every other way it tries so hard to be a teeny angst ridden journey and oh good lord was it painful.

The Missus thought it was good but that about sums up how bad it was for me :p
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Twilight was 10 x better than this :p
 
Fenris said:
Uh yeah, did you even read my post before deciding what it said?
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Yes. Did you? :confused:

Fenris said:
I grew out of teen fiction when I stopped being a teenager.
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Fenris said:
...why don't you go out and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of age appropriate literature that is just waiting for you to get involved.
Click to expand...

Fenris said:
...for the love of god remember the fact that the books are not meant for you, it will save you allot for time and embarrassment when you decide to try and justify your interest in them.
Click to expand...
 
I've read the books and thought the film was disappointing overall, that doesn't mean it's a bad film.

The best bits about the film are the hints at revolution, the awkward 'love' between the two main characters (yes it's intended folks ;) ) it could have been done much better in my opinion, doesn't mean it's a bad film like I said, I think it's 'alright' :)
 
Does anyone else think the ending would have been so much better if they ate the berries, died and sparked the revolution?

I guess that would rule out a sequel though :D
 
Fenris said:
I'm not going to see this for the same reason I haven't read the books.

I grew out of teen fiction when I stopped being a teenager.

I mean really some of the people arguing about this are older than me, how about instead of getting angry that someone doesn't like a book you like (ignoring the fact it is a book meant for teenagers) why don't you go out and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of age appropriate literature that is just waiting for you to get involved.

Look, by all means read this stuff and if you enjoy it then that's great, but for the love of god remember the fact that the books are not meant for you, it will save you allot for time and embarrassment when you decide to try and justify your interest in them.
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Watch out everyone, we've got an intellectual on board.
 
Just got back from seeing this. Not a bad film but - as is usually the case - simply not as good as the book. Plus I was constantly distracted by thinking "it's that kid from Zathura" everytime Peeta was on screen or "hey, it's The Seeker" when Cato was about. :D
 
So are the books any good?

I'm just back from seeing the film and I think it quite possibly was the worst film iv paid money to see in quite a while.

20 arduous opening minutes of shaky hand cam followed by an hour of "scene setting", nothing to do with how we ended with a dystopian future of basically the 5th element meets a wood elf, just dullness. Then about 40 mins of the Truman Show were kids die.

This film is an insult to 1984 and Half Life 2 as that clearly was the type of world that was trying to be created on screen and failed miserably.

Buster2312 said:
Does anyone else think the ending would have been so much better if they ate the berries, died and sparked the revolution?

I guess that would rule out a sequel though :D
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That would have been amazing, would have felt less cheated if they had just died and at least got some sort of tribute to the end of 1984 in there

Never wanted my money back more from the producers as this sort of nonsense is the reason film making doesn't make money (not piracy despite the lengthy adverts).

Concluding thought, who was the lead woman?!?! She's VERY hot and looks a bit like Queen Amidala from the more recent Star Wars. She wasn't helped by having some ginger kid I went to school with failing near her, killing any last hope of immersion into the story when you just don't care about the characters.
 
went to see it last week with a few mates...
Feeling leaving was a definitive meh :(

So many people raving about it, see many mentioning Battle Royale in the same sentence.
I sat down in the cinema, waited thru the trailers... and the other ads.... and more junk... 12A ... What!?!?

So many deaths.... so little blood :/
Oh so dissapointed
 
DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the books....

I went and saw this last week in Leicester Square.

Now firstly, this isn't like Battle Royale. You see about 6 deaths, maybe 10, and none of the, are particularly violent. Considering basic Maths suggests you should have 23 deaths, it already shows that they probably cut a lot out of the book....

As a casual action film, it's not too bad. I'd happily sit down and watch this on TV if it was on... But it didn't really inspire me, nor did I think there were any outstanding parts of it...

Don't regret going to see it, and I wouldn't not recommend it, but don't set your expectations too high....

kd
 
You can easily tell this wasnt derived from Battle Royale. Battle Royale makes some sense whilst this doesnt. The characters in Battle Royale are realistic in this their not.
 
Glad to see im not the only one who thinks this movie wasnt really all that. Me and the missus were thinking of going to see it again but we both looked at each other and said nah, not worth wasting more money on it:p.
 
Holy bumpage! :D

Just seen this. All in all it was a GOOD film. I agree that the build up was longer than it needed to be, the games were too short and the ending was abrupt - but I enjoyed it.

Did think it was a Battle Royale rip off though...

The second one is out in November apparently - bound to be worse than the first?!

BB x
 
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