The Hunger Games
Posted by martinteller on August 31, 2012
Not counting my stuff for the LAMB tournament, it’s been almost a week since I watched something and posted a new review. Over the past several days, I’ve been playing the game “Infamous 2″. It was a pretty fun time, but (as is typically the case) after about 15-20 hours I got bored with the game mechanics and just wanted it over with. Still, not bad if you enjoyed the first one.
Speaking of games, and things I’m experiencing long after everyone else has… The Hunger Games. I won’t waste a lot of time on an in-depth review since I’m lagging behind the pop culture curve as usual. I found the movie surprisingly easy to get into, and it moves much more quickly than I thought it would. The script is quite economical, especially for one that requires significant world-building, although it leaves a number of unanswered questions. It’s a common problem with adaptations… even when you haven’t read the source material, there’s a nagging feeling that the book is better. There was a lot I wanted to be more fleshed out, from the history of the games and the world’s politics to Katniss Everdeen’s emotional state, which mostly seems to be communicated through a series of sullen expressions. Does her first kill affect her? Not much if the movie is to be believed, but I imagine the original text has more to say on the matter.
Other things mildly bothered me — the absurdity of the dog-creatures (my wife tells me she heard that they are better explained in the book), the poor and confusing editing of several action sequences. But I can’t deny I was invested and enjoyed watching it. It just felt incomplete, and I don’t mean just because it’s the first of a series. I was left wanting to know more, yet not wanting it badly enough to read the novel. Rating: Fair (67)
