Part of the magic of this film series is the contrasting visuals between the colourful glamour of the Capitol and the bleak, rough and natural look of District 12. The film captures these different worlds very well, which helps the audience identify with Katniss, Peeta and Gale.
Director Francis Lawrence has a clear vision and lets the audience in close with extreme close-ups and carefully chosen angles. That makes the challenges that Katniss faces all the more palpable.
Jennifer Lawrence is spot-on as Katniss, but Woody Harrelson is even better as the alcoholized and selfish former Hunger Games winner Haymitch.
The script follows the novel surprisingly faithfully, taking logical narrative shortcuts while retaining the spirit of the original story. The most important worldbuilding elements are still there and the script moves from one significant event to another with great pace, ensuring that viewers remain interested.
I’m happy they allow the pre-game stuff to play out properly, establishing character relationships and laying down the groundwork for the rest of the series. The script doesn’t just jump straight into the games.
I love the added scenes between Snow and Seneca, providing further exploration of their personas. These help us understand President Snow better.
Despite not being a particularly action-packed film, The Hunger Games packs a punch in terms of tension and dangerous situations, keeping the audience alert at all times.
THE BAD:
Part of the problem carried over from the novel is the triangle drama between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. It just never works for me, because it never feels real for Katniss’ part and then it’s later ruined for Peeta as well.
They rather butchered the mutated dogs from the climax; they were easily the most disturbing part of the original book. Nevertheless, I can understand why they decided to change the dogs for the film adaptation.
THE UGLY:
Also known as Survivor: Panem.
THE VERDICT:
The first Hunger Games movie is a faithful, tense and thrilling adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling YA novel.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2021-03-24T13:52:04Z
THE GOOD: 'THE HUNGER GAMES’
WRITING: 80
ACTING: 80
LOOK: 85
SOUND: 65
FEEL: 70
NOVELTY: 65
ENJOYMENT: 80
RE-WATCHABILITY: 85
INTRIGUE: 85
EXPECTATIONS: 90
THE GOOD:
Part of the magic of this film series is the contrasting visuals between the colourful glamour of the Capitol and the bleak, rough and natural look of District 12. The film captures these different worlds very well, which helps the audience identify with Katniss, Peeta and Gale.
Director Francis Lawrence has a clear vision and lets the audience in close with extreme close-ups and carefully chosen angles. That makes the challenges that Katniss faces all the more palpable.
Jennifer Lawrence is spot-on as Katniss, but Woody Harrelson is even better as the alcoholized and selfish former Hunger Games winner Haymitch.
The script follows the novel surprisingly faithfully, taking logical narrative shortcuts while retaining the spirit of the original story. The most important worldbuilding elements are still there and the script moves from one significant event to another with great pace, ensuring that viewers remain interested.
I’m happy they allow the pre-game stuff to play out properly, establishing character relationships and laying down the groundwork for the rest of the series. The script doesn’t just jump straight into the games.
I love the added scenes between Snow and Seneca, providing further exploration of their personas. These help us understand President Snow better.
Despite not being a particularly action-packed film, The Hunger Games packs a punch in terms of tension and dangerous situations, keeping the audience alert at all times.
THE BAD:
Part of the problem carried over from the novel is the triangle drama between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. It just never works for me, because it never feels real for Katniss’ part and then it’s later ruined for Peeta as well.
They rather butchered the mutated dogs from the climax; they were easily the most disturbing part of the original book. Nevertheless, I can understand why they decided to change the dogs for the film adaptation.
THE UGLY:
Also known as Survivor: Panem.
THE VERDICT:
The first Hunger Games movie is a faithful, tense and thrilling adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling YA novel.
79% = :white_check_mark: = GOOD