Snazzified

Movie #17 - Hunger Games

Before y’all pounce on me: No, I have not yet read the book(s). I will.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am always hesitant to watch a hugely hyped movie. Call me contrary, but I tend not to love the books/movies that others go nuts over. With the exception of Harry Potter (which I enjoyed, but am by no means gaga over), I have consistently been let down by all that is hugely popular. I didn’t even bother with Twilight.

With Hunger Games, my curiosity was slightly more aroused simply because the main character was presented as a strong female. None of this insipid waif crap, but an honest to goodness woman hero with physical cunning and emotional strength. Seeing as this is (sadly) a rarity in media, I figured it was worth a shot to see the movie.

It kept me on my toes. The violence was well-screened, yet still disturbing. Katniss was likeable enough. Peeta didn’t thrill me. Rue was adorable and I loved that her character added a dimension of camaraderie across the districts. The concept was, overall, engaging and kept me thinking.

My main complaint would be that it did not delve into the history enough. Obviously, those who have read the books have a far deeper knowledge of how and why everything was the way it was, but for someone like me, this area felt very poorly developed. I wanted to know more about the history than the brief video provided.

I also felt that in an attempt to leave an opening for sequels, this first movie left some hanging bits. For instance, Gale really wasn’t significant in the movie. I gather that he becomes a more important to the story in the subsequent books and that the movie wanted to introduce him now, but really, what did he add?

We’ll have to see how I feel about the movie after reading the book(s). I’ll keep you posted!