The New Big Franchise?

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2012)

"The Hunger Games" is a movie that has been anticipated for some time now. I will say right off the bat, that it does not live up to the hype. The ending noted this, as it was rather anti- climactic. As for the shaky cam and choppy editing, it did get a little annoying at times. Not as annoying as Woody Harrelson's hair of course, but definitely distracting. What I found rather odd is why the people in the Capitol were so privileged. Did they work for the government? I guess you could assume that, but the film doesn't bother to explain much of the back-story to the Hunger Games and the new government order. I will say one thing: the costumes. Since everyone looked like either a Lady Gaga impersonator or a Who, the fact the Americans are so openly against gays and transvestites, there is no way that anyone in the future would dress like that. Plus, the visual effects were a little off. Even the fire looked like an FX effect. Yes, it is, but it should't be so obvious. The ending is rather anti-climactic, and I felt that we didn't get much insight on Katniss (Lawrence), as apparently her ----- died in a mining accident. But this is discovered with shaky cam, choppy editing, and in the middle of a tense situation that is completely irrelevant to the reveal. I felt information was sort of shoved in between the battles. There are a lot of problems with this film, and I definitely don't think it's the next Harry Potter franchise, (in quality terms, anyway) but it does have its pros. Jennifer Lawrence was good, and the film did offer some very high tension scenes. The violence is kept at a minimum, so if you want a death game movie with gore and blood throughout, I suggest the Asian masterpiece, "Battle Royale." The only good thing that will come out of this film is a better franchise than the current "Twilight" and a high hope that American producers will cancel their remake plans of Battle Royale, as they fear people will express distaste for it since it is so similar to the current Hunger Games franchise. It's like trying to remake "Paprika" when "Inception" was just made. People won't like it. This movie is worth watching in the theaters, but definitely not something special. Unoriginal concept is already driven by stuff we've seen before and the inevitable romance sub-plot. I do like it's stance on the current day media towards the end, and how they eat up all that crap with celebrity marriages and what not. Although, that's its only true saving grace, as the film came off as pretty average. C+