So husband and I just got back from a matinee viewing of The Hunger Games (yes, it took us this long to finally have the free time to go to the theatre together). I returned to the house to promptly and ravenously eat a slice of bakery bread drenched in Nutella. (I guess watching other people on the brink of starvation/bloody deaths will do that to you).
I'm currently writing this post to process what can best be described as a Hunger Games Hangover. It's a story so powerful and striking that it really does demand a response.
The movie was so well done. I think they did an amazing job handling the subject matter and all the inevitable moral implications that come with it. Our society is so used to blood and gore on television, yet I was so impressed by how the filmmakers chose to be discreet in the way they depicted the slaughter. Anything more would have been gratuitous and frankly disturbing.
The mood of the film, how the actors and the setting betrayed fear, was so well done. I was literally shaking in my seat with Katniss when she was preparing to enter the arena. And when Prim's name was drawn from the bowl... the look on Katniss's face was heartwrenching.
As a storyteller, I always have a habit of dissecting the stories I ingest. The Hunger Games is no exception. I think one of the most amazing things about this story is how high the stakes are. The scenario that Katniss is thrown into is an impossible one, which puts the readers/audience on the edge of their seats until the very end, and even after!
And the sibling/caretaker relationship strikes a very strong chord with me. As an oldest sister, there's little I wouldn't do to protect my brothers. I think this is a widespread sentiment that touches the hearts of so many readers/viewers.
Anyway, enough of me rambling. Have you guys seen the movie? What are your thoughts?
PS. I love that Jennifer Lawrence has so many freckles. I too, have been, er, 'blessed' with an abundance of very visible freckles across my face (as my Korean kindergarten students were more than happy to point out on a very daily basis). There are points where I get self-conscious about them, so it was nice to see such a beautiful actress sport them with such grace.
I'm currently writing this post to process what can best be described as a Hunger Games Hangover. It's a story so powerful and striking that it really does demand a response.
The movie was so well done. I think they did an amazing job handling the subject matter and all the inevitable moral implications that come with it. Our society is so used to blood and gore on television, yet I was so impressed by how the filmmakers chose to be discreet in the way they depicted the slaughter. Anything more would have been gratuitous and frankly disturbing.
The mood of the film, how the actors and the setting betrayed fear, was so well done. I was literally shaking in my seat with Katniss when she was preparing to enter the arena. And when Prim's name was drawn from the bowl... the look on Katniss's face was heartwrenching.
As a storyteller, I always have a habit of dissecting the stories I ingest. The Hunger Games is no exception. I think one of the most amazing things about this story is how high the stakes are. The scenario that Katniss is thrown into is an impossible one, which puts the readers/audience on the edge of their seats until the very end, and even after!
And the sibling/caretaker relationship strikes a very strong chord with me. As an oldest sister, there's little I wouldn't do to protect my brothers. I think this is a widespread sentiment that touches the hearts of so many readers/viewers.
Anyway, enough of me rambling. Have you guys seen the movie? What are your thoughts?
PS. I love that Jennifer Lawrence has so many freckles. I too, have been, er, 'blessed' with an abundance of very visible freckles across my face (as my Korean kindergarten students were more than happy to point out on a very daily basis). There are points where I get self-conscious about them, so it was nice to see such a beautiful actress sport them with such grace.
I adored it. I was especially impressed with Jennifer Lawrence in the scene with Cinna just as she's getting ready to enter the arena. She's absolutely terrified and desperately trying to hold it together, and she portrayed those feelings SO WELL.
ReplyDeleteThe whole film was fantastic. I do wish they'd given a couple more beats to the Rue/District 11 part of the story, but hey. There's only so much they have time for. I think they gave us a very true adaptation to the book, so it's hard to complain.
Also, Peeta? Adorable.
That scene really stood out to me too, Jen. And I agree that they did an excellent job trying to fit everything from the book into the movie. Peeta, I'm a bit on the fence about, I feel like the movie made him out to be more of a wuss than he actually is...
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