Escape to the Movies: The Hunger Games

[Sonic Doctor]

I know which one you meant. Do you really think that matters? I still foresee torrents of outraged fans decrying it because it didn't live up to their personal (and extremely outrageous) expectations.

I don't know what people will come up with to complain about the comparison of this movie to the book, but since you are making your comment in relation to how people reacted to the Eragon movie, I have to say the people complaining about it weren't running one outrageous expectations.

The problem with Eragon was that the numb-nuts that made the movie, didn't read the book or get any notes about it or something, because the mistakes they made are ones that anybody with a half a brain could get right.

Since you didn't read the books, I'll just bring two points because it's all I need:

1.) The Urgals:

This is an illustration from the actual guide to the books.

Spoiler

This is what they look like in the movie.

Spoiler

I could tell the director was a moron when he said that making them properly would cost too much money, and especially so when he said he wanted to do them a little differently. There is no little about that.

2.) Brom's death:

In the book, the Ra'zac(those black robbed creatures that followed Brom and Eragon in the movie), killed Brom(he jumped in front of a dagger one of them threw at Eragon). But, in the film, Brom gets the jump on them and kills them both. By changing that fact when making the movie, they effectively killed the possibility to continue on to make the other books into movies, until the first movie gets a remake, because the Ra'zac play a major role throughout the books.

Again, it isn't outrageous expectations; it is just plain fact. It is really a good example of if they can't make a movie somewhat proper compared to the book, they shouldn't even try.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I've asked fans of this book what its about and if its worth while to read or if its worth while to see the movie to see if i should get into the books (which is usually the opposite of my process) and everyone of them either mentioned nothing of value, tried to give me the entire book history, or just said read the book, and when that happens, that tells me that this wont be very good.

so yeah. Really im just waiting to see how long it takes till the twilight comparisons really lay on i guess.

 

[Chunko]

Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.

*Eragon. Sadly it looks like your right though.

 

[Piecewise]

So its battle royale...but all the violence and grit toned down to saccharine levels, any sort of social commentary or satire reduced to broad, heavy handed, done-before-and-done-better metaphors, with a love story crammed in and targeted toward young girls?

So it's battle royale as written by stephenie meyer?

 

[Corran006]

Movie Bob had a few good points about the film I have read in other review. I feel I am going to have to disagree with him on this one. Much like He loved Captain America, while I thought it was pretty subpar.

 

[Corran006]

You know its kinda funny that its always compared to Battle royale, but you know this is not a new concept. This idea was back in the roman times with the gladiator combat, and older films like Ben-Hur. Besides if you really want to nitpick the idea was done on Running man before both films.

 

[Corran006]

Noelveiga I could not have put it better, I think your 100% right about how these things exist in other films Movie Bob and others like. Movie Bob is just picking at it cause its really not something he is into, and I am sure like you said if you go and look some some other Sc-fi and comic book type movies they are guilty of the same thing.

 

[stickmangrit]

I've asked fans of this book what its about and if its worth while to read or if its worth while to see the movie to see if i should get into the books (which is usually the opposite of my process) and everyone of them either mentioned nothing of value, tried to give me the entire book history, or just said read the book, and when that happens, that tells me that this wont be very good.

so yeah. Really im just waiting to see how long it takes till the twilight comparisons really lay on i guess.

it's Battle Royale targeted at an age group unlikely to have ever encountered Battle Royale. it's written in a first-person present tense style that works like gangbusters when the protagonist is in mortal danger(which is often), and these points in the narrative seem to excuse(at least in the minds of the fanbase) the moments when this style cuts off any hope of character development for any character not in the protagonist love-triangle(this becomes a significant issue later when what should be a gut-wrenching emotional moment in the third book falls completely flat due to the fact that Collins never bothered to develop what should have been a major character). the books are very flawed(ask any fan over the age of twelve about Crazy Cat), and everything before the beginning of the first Hunger Games felt like it needed editing(a flaw that's evidently been transferred whole-cloth into the film), at no point does it reach the level of painful incompetence and terrifying social perspective that Twilight's known for. i'd say don't bother reading them, except that if you have anything resembling a decent reading speed, it shouldn't take you more than one to three weeks to burn through all three books.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Catfish Jellybean? I get a feeling that will make watching this movie (wife wants to see it) so much more enjoyable now.

I tend to agree with Bob on movies 90% of the time, but when we disagree, we really disagree. Guess I'll find out on Sunday which way it will go. Though I suspect being a fan of the books, I might be more charitable.

At least Eragon had the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy motif to fall back on. This is just an inferior copy of several much better ideas.

Most unintentionally hilarious thing I've read all day. Cheers.

I know, right? I was trying to find a way to say something without a dick about it, so good job on that.

 

[hermes]

Risking being burned but the rage of a million fans, I am going to put this here:

All the problem Bob has with this movie, all of them, are the same problem I have with the books. In the end, even the premise needs a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief to take seriously and, while they explain some issues in them, the explanations are not very good to start with. In the end, they are entertaining but rather shallow, especially when compared with other similar books and movies that are far more successful in being referential.

First time I've heard anything about the plot.
So, what IS all the fuss about?

Because the books has 2 things in their favor:
- They are pretty violent considering its target audience.
- They are a lot better at creating a strong female lead (without falling in most common traps of making a strong female lead), especially when compared with other books aimed at its target audience.

 

[Brentpool]

Damn, Bobby- you're really good at selling your case about movies. Won't repeat any of it though, my roommate is a fan of the books.

 

[FallenTraveler]

Just saw this, I thought it was actually rather well adapted. My question is if bob actually read the book, there were deviations, but for the most part they stayed true to it.

Also, Katniss is a much stronger female lead then most we've had recently... better than Bella from Twilight.

 

[daxterx2005]

Didn't read the books, and frankly have no desire to see this.
I feel like I'm the only one. Oh well.

 

[ciancon]

This makes me sad. I was looking forward to watching Jennifer Lawrence playing Catfish Jellybean.

Oh well...thanks Bob for saving me another ?15!

 

[Littaly]

Hah! Sounds like Moviebob lifted some of Yahtzee's shtick with the "repeatedly mispronouncing a name wrong in different ways" thing ^^

Also, it sounds a little bit like he isn't the target audience for this movie. Haven't seen it myself or read any of the books for that matter, but it seems to me like it's meant to be enjoyed by someone who's a lot less familiar with story telling conventions.

 

[Draconalis]

That's not how you shoot a bow...

 

[4173]

Risking being burned but the rage of a million fans, I am going to put this here:

All the problem Bob has with this movie, all of them, are the same problem I have with the books. In the end, even the premise needs a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief to take seriously and, while they explain some issues in them, the explanations are not very good to start with. In the end, they are entertaining but rather shallow, especially when compared with other similar books and movies that are far more successful in being referential.

First time I've heard anything about the plot.
So, what IS all the fuss about?

Because the books has 2 things in their favor:
- They are pretty violent considering its target audience.
- They are a lot better at creating a strong female lead (without falling in most common traps of making a strong female lead), especially when compared with other books aimed at its target audience.

I've only read the first book, but hell, it's more [graphically] violent than a number of ostensibly violent "adult" books I've read.

Seconded on the female lead thing.

 

[Xman490]

Wes Bentley? Wait a minute, he's holding a camera, like the OCD cocaine hoarder from American Beauty?
*checks out the Flixter with Rotten Tomatoes app*
Why, yes he is that character! This is the second time a movie I've seen in my Survey of Motion Pictures (an intro class to knock off a fine arts requirement) has shown up randomly in an online video I watched!

The other movie suddenly referenced was with none other than Citizen Kane, especially with that strong, apathetic clapping scene.