By Ryan Biggs
Edward and Bella wouldn’t survive for a day as Hunger Games tributes. That’s right, I said it. And dare I say that The Hunger Games is a better series, both written and filmed, than Twilight? I may have haters because of it, but it’s the truth.
I was fortunate enough to watch The Hunger Games before midnight. Yes, thankfully, I avoided the thronging crowds and the never-ending line full of fanatics. I must say, the little girls wielding bows and arrows made me a bit nervous as I passed them by on my way inside the theater.
It’s always a good thing when a movie portrays characters and places exactly as you envisioned them in the book. Either Suzanne Collins provided great imagery or it was simply a coincidence that everything looked as I expected. Probably the former.
I’m known to get a little teary-eyed during episodes Extreme Home Makeover, and The Hunger Games didn’t pass on any opportunities to tug at the heart strings. While I didn’t cry, the screen did get a little blurred at times.
There weren’t too many special effects in the movie, which is a good thing in my opinion. If you can shoot it in real life, do it. The less computer animation, the better. It certainly provided the gritty, realistic experience I was hoping for.
One thing I didn’t like much was the “shaking the camera to make intense action and fighting scenes” technique. Since the Bourne series, the trick has gotten quite old. Some might call it “movie magic.” I call it “pass the Ibuprofen.”
Overall, the film was more enjoyable than I had expected. That says a lot, since I had read the books and my hopes were quite high, despite Hollywood’s track record for ruining perfectly good book plots. The stunning Jennifer Lawrence (who played the heroine Katniss Everdeen), despite a couple of awkward romantic-ish scenes, did well to please fans and young boys alike. At times, however, her chipmunk cheeks and pursed lips were cause for contemplation regarding her level of attractiveness. On other occasions, however, she was drop dead hotness steaming from the big screen.
Good-looking actresses and actors or not, The Hunger Games is likely to please audiences from various demographics. Although tonight’s audience was largely female (and cheering for Peeta at every turn, I might add), this story has more than enough action content to justify a manly man’s attendance.
If you plan to see it this weekend, which I definitely recommend doing, I wish you good luck working your way through the horde of devoted fans. May the odds be ever in your favor.
In the end, a solid 8.5 out of 10.
