Good--But Could Have Been Much Better

Rating: 6/10 (23 March 2012)

Out of the loins of Suzanne Collins comes a movie that bit off more than it could chew. Despite the movie's multiple setbacks, however, the world that Collins created is utterly frightening and eerily familiar. As the hype for this movie increased in recent weeks, the headlines informed non-fans of the basic storyline: kids killing kids. The movie itselfâ€”although not shying away from deathâ€”allowed it to encompass so much more.
The core of this movie stands on the shoulders of Jennifer Lawrence. I've thought hard and cannot honestly think of a better Katniss Everdeen. Her complicated character has to pull off a "Is this really happening" look for nearly 40 minutes of screen time. She does it beautifully. Behind herâ€”everyone from Donald Sutherland to the girl who plays Primroseâ€”is a cast that holds its own weight (I'm still unsure about Galeâ€”but that will be decided in Catching Fire).
The main problems with this film derive from the Directorâ€”Gary Ross. Although this director is talented, he has never taken on a project of this size. That much is obvious. From the very start you will see the amateur mistakesâ€”from very poor editing to unfocused shots. The camera moved so much during the action scenes when a simple wide angle would have had more impact on the audience. Hopefully he'll have a handle on it by the second or third film.
As a fan, I feel a must attest to how the movie plays out compared to the book. I was quite surprised how well the movie followed the book. There were things that had to be cut outâ€”the Mockingjay pin coming from the mayor's daughter or eyes of the creatures at the end. Other than that, few changes were made. One problem the audience (and I) was clearly unhappy about was the symbol of the revolution being used in the first half hour of the first movie.
If you are a fan of the books, you should have seen it at midnight. If you haven't seen it, go see it now. If you are not a fan of the series, I have only one thing to say to you: go read the books. This movie is good, but the books will blow you away. If you are not much of a reader, this movie is still worth your time. It holds its own and will (mostly) make sense. As a fan of the series, I expected moreÂ…but was not disappointed.
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