On Monday, Kari and I were treated to an advanced showing of the latest teen novella craze, “The Hunger Games.” As a fan of the books (note the use of fan, not die-hard, all-knowing, and emotionally attached super enthusiast), I was excited to see the film adaptation.
While I was impressed with the translation of the book to motion picture, there were some cinematic difficulties that were hard to overcome. The first 20 minutes of the film were pretty shaky, and I found myself craving a wide-angle shot (something I don’t ever think I never imagined I would desire). The constant close-ups on the faces of the actors and a really shaky camera was obviously a stylistic choice made at the expense of content.
But, the books and the storyline speak for themselves and the movie was still an overall hit. That being said, as a professor I thought I would share some lessons I learned from watching the picture.
1. I want to form an alliance with Jennifer Lawrence
Rooney Mara take note: Jennifer Lawrence is epic. After watching her in “Like Crazy” this weekend, its impressive to see the scope of her acting talents. And oh yeah, she kicks ass in all fight scene. If I was to head into the games, I want her on my team.
myhungergames.com
2. 142 minutes is not enough
The books are long, the movie is long, and yet I wanted more. Some critical roles were taken out of the film that made a big difference in the books. It will be interesting to see how they handle it in the next couple of movies. I would have liked a few extra minutes spent in District 12 or the capital, but I’m assuming that could come later.
themoviebanter.com
3. Don’t take Harry Potter for granted
I think I have falsely made the assumption that if the book was good, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to turn it into a good move. Harry Potter is a good example of a good book series made into a good movie series. I always knew that the sacrifices in the HP movies were for the greater good and wouldn’t totally effect the viewing experience. I didn’t have that same level of trust with this film. There was something that put me on edge and made me stress over the parts that were removed and the implications it could have for the next two parts.
http://www.zimbio.com/
Overall, the movie was pretty well done and I give it a solid B+.
