Loved, Loved, Loved The Hunger Games Movie!!

It isn't often that a movie lives up to the hype surrounding it, especially when it is based on a well loved book.  So often what is thrown on screen falls completely flat, sometimes to the point of ruining a perfectly good book -- I'm looking at you Twilight Saga.  I knew when I read the Hunger Games a few years ago that it was destined to find its way onto the big screen.  It has so many elements that make a great movie -- a David and Goliath story of a girl facing the power of a ridiculously powerful government, a story of survival, a romance, suspense, heartbreak.  It had it all.  I absolutely loved the Hunger Games trilogy.  I wasn't a huge fan of the last book in the series, but I really loved the first two books, so I was really looking forward to this movie.  But I tempered my expectations.  I was one of those people who stood in line to be one of the first to see Twilight, and it was a HUGE disappointment to me, so much so that by now I can hardly stand to read the books because I can only picture the constantly constipated look of Robert Pattison or the forever ticked off look (whether she is happy or sad) of Kristen Stewart when I read about Edward and Bella in the book -- not a very attractive look.  It only took three movies for me to see how hokey the premise of Twilight really is.  I'm still a fan of the books, I think.  I just have had to take an extended holiday from reading them so that I can erase the memory of the movies from my mind.  

So when I headed to see The Hunger Games this weekend I tried to lower my expectations so that I wouldn't be too disappointed.  I deliberately refrained from re-reading the books so that I didn't compare the movie and the book too closely.  I thought about attending the midnight showing on Thursday night because I love the atmosphere of the midnight showings, but because I was teaching seminary I didn't think that I could handle the late/early hours.  I would either sleep through the movie or be a terrible grump during seminary.  So I sacrificed a few hours of anticipation and instead decided to go to a showing on Friday evening.  Laney, Savannah, Spencer and I headed early to the Waynesville theater to see the 6:55 showing.  I'm glad we chose that one because the next two showings were already sold out, and we would have had to wait until after 9:00 to see the next one.  Luckily we got into the showing we wanted.  It was packed with all types of people -- especially kids around Spencer's age.  On a side note, I thought that it was super cute that little ads were running on the screen like always happens before a movie.  Like always the audience just chats away during this time, but at one point there was a commercial for some company that had lots and lots of baby pictures, and the entire audience just got quiet and didn't make a sound through the entire commercial.  I've never seen that happen before.  We must have a soft spot for babies in this world.

And now for my thoughts about the movie.  I absolutely LOVED it!  It was so much better than I could have expected.  It was an unusual movie because it was so quiet.  There was not a lot of background music at all. Instead the silence served to almost intensify the dire situation that Katniss faced, whether it was the natural hardships found in her life in the super poor District 12 or in the desperation of her participation in the Hunger Games.  I don't think I have ever been to a movie that felt so silent.  In fact, the movie John Carter was playing in the theater next to ours, and we could hear the screams and explosions of that movie through the walls.  It was a weird thing to hear in the midst of the silence of this movie.

What made this movie amazing?  Excellent casting and wonderful acting!  Where Twilight failed miserably was in the casting of the actors.  They cast people who might have looked the parts, but they couldn't act worth anything.  It was painful to watch such horrible acting at times.  In this movie, however, they managed to find actors who basically looked right for the parts, but these people could act as well.  I especially loved the casting of Katniss, Gale, and Peeta.  They managed to find actors who looked plain enough to make sense for them to be from District 12, but they were also beautiful enough that you could see the way that the government could make them over for their presentation to the country as a tribute.  But more than looks I was impressed with their ability to really act the parts.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen

Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job as Katniss.  She had the right mix of toughness and vulnerability to truly show the bleakness of the situation she faced while also showing her strength to overcome horrible odds and rise above whatever was thrown her way.  

Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne

I really liked Liam's Hemsworth's portrayal of Gale -- maybe even more than I liked the Gale in the book.  With very little screen time he was able to show the warm friendship he shared with Katniss as well as his desire to maybe move beyond the friends stage.  I especially liked the tiny snippets of time he was shown on the screen watching Katniss in the games.  He was able to show emotion without words, showing that he was unhappy to see Katniss kissing Peeta, but also understanding the need for her to do so in order to win the game and survive.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark

Josh Hutcherson was great as Peeta.  I wasn't sure about him at first.  But as the movie progressed I was more and more impressed with his ability to show the strength of Peeta's character.  He didn't look very tough or talented in any way.  But he could really work the cameras to his good and create the story that worked to his benefit.  I thought that Josh did a great job showing a wide range of emotions without coming across as fake.

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna

My kids were absolutely amazed that Leeny Kravitz was actually a singer before he was an actor.  I actually bought a Kravitz tape when I was in high school.  For that reason I was interested to see how he would do with this important role in the film.  He did great.  My favorite scenes with him were the scenes between Katniss and Cinna.  Oh how sorry I am for his eventual destiny!  But for now I was content with Kravitz's wonderful portrayal of this character.  The fire dress wasn't nearly as cool as it seemed to be in the book, but it was good enough.

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

Not much to say about this character except to say that I thought that Elizabeth Banks did a great job.  I especially loved her in the scene when they called the names of the tributes from District 12.  She did such a great job showing the contrast between the pageantry of the capital and the bleakness of the situation for the people in the district.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch

Excellent character!  There was so much more of Haymitch and his background in the book, so I was glad to know that as I headed into this movie.  It made Harrelson's performance so much more enjoyable to watch.  I think this was an excellent casting move.

So with that excellent main cast and an equally good supporting cast the movie was a joy to watch.  My absolute favorite scene in the movie was after Katniss mourned the death of Rue and raised her arm to the camera when the people watching from Rue's district 11 raised their arms back toward the screen in support.  Absolutely beautiful!  Loved it!

I can't wait for the next installment in this franchise.  I feel as if the books have been left in the right hands.  Hurray for an adaptation that doesn't make me roll my eyes!