Could have been so much more.

Rating: 6/10 (28 March 2012)

As I was pulling out of the drive in after watching "The Hunger Games" I noticed a young girl stand up on her pick-nick blanket and shout to the stars, "That was the best movie ever!" And I tended to agree with her. But as I drove home, Listening to my brother praise what they had just saw, I realized I was not participating in the praise. Because a dark negativity was building up in the back of my mind... "What was wrong with this movie? Why did I not enjoy as much as every one else?" Then it hit me... "Because I read the books." I did consider myself caught up in the hype when i hurded "The Hunger Games" was going be a movie, but I should have known that i didn't stand hope of being satisfied. This Movie could have been so much more.
there's nothing wrong with the actors, aside from JL being a bit to old for the part, all the performances are strong.
And Then there's the camera work. Oh, that Camera work. Who ever filmed this movie definitely had Attention deficit disorder. It look like it was filmed by a ten year old girl playing hopscotch.
But that's not what erked me the most. Lets start from the beginning.
There's no hunger in the hunger games. Everyone (exspecialy Katniss) looks plump and healthy. Making the bread toss scene, where in the book Petta throws a near death, starving Katniss a loaf of burnt bread, completely without meaning.
A complete lack of brutality on the Governments part. In the book the Governemnt is this evil, Vile state that will execute anyone at the mear hint of rebellion. But in the movie, when district 11 breaks out in protest of the games, what do you think the Government does? Massecre them all with machine gun fire? No. they send in the Riot police and blast them with water canons and beat them with sticks. which, correct me if I'm wrong, is what we do today? And the one character that could have given a glimpse of the Governments ruthlessness (The Avox Girls) is cut completely. We are given no reason why we should fear this government.
Now we come to the Games themselves. None of these kids look like they're about to enter a cage match to the death. at the beginning of the games when they rise up out of the ground, they all stand there poised like they are about to take place in a fifty yard dash where at the end the winner gets a cookie. there's nothing on these kids faces that suggest any sort of fear that many of them might be dead in a matter of moments.
And it just gets worse from there. The careers, the most trained and prepared members of the tributes, skip and giggle through the woods with no sense of danger. It feels like a high school easter egg hunt.
Katina's is made to be far to capable. She finds water, hatches plans, and traps food with little or no effort.
Katniss and Rue's relationship is barely given time to mature before Rue meats her fate. And Katniss and Peeta love efforts are miss handled, mainly do to some unnecessary changes. It's not even worth a "let's just be friends" scene at the end.
Over all, I felt Thresh was the moist interesting character and he's only on screen for about five seconds. The Movie is hit or miss as far as doing the books justice and for those who would say "you need to review the movie on is own Maurits" well... This movie would not be doing the victory dance it's doing if it weren't for the books.
6/10 for getting it a little more then half right.