Hunger Games
Year: 2012
Grade: B+
Country: USA
Director: Ross
Reviewfull disclosure: i own stock in lions gate so i have a vested interest in everyone watching this. never read the books so i won’t go there. it’s surprising that the film has as much hype as it does. it’s a good film, but i didn’t see anything in the themes or storytelling that would indicate to me that this would be a big blockbuster. i would have given it the green light if i were an executive, but i wouldn’t expect it to be a billion dollar franchise. i can see the appeal to young women and people who like character development which is to say i wouldn’t think it would do all that well in america.
there’s some real meat to the film which was a surprise considering it has been compared to twilight so many times and appeals to the same demographic. whereas twilight sets women back 50 years and is about the worst thing to ever be filmed, this is empowering, interesting, and has some actual depth to it. since it’s a trilogy or quadrilogy (i think there are going to be four films, but i’m not sure) you know you’re not going to get real finality out of the ending which is always a downer. that said, i thought they did a good job of keeping you interested for the next chapter while closing this one. it’s a bit slow and long, especially for today’s audiences. that’s an encouraging thing, though, because it’s a long, slowish film that is hugely popular, empowering and has some depth.
jennifer lawrence is great.
Watched in theater