I have, and they have not sold me...
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The Hunger Games (Dir. Gary Ross) |OT| May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor
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I have, and they have not sold me...
I'd like to know as well. I haven't read any of the books in the series (despite my peers telling me numerous times to just shut up and read), so I was wondering whether or not this movie is going to be enjoyable for someone who didn't read the books.
I'm legitimately interested in it as well, because I love Battle Royale and The Running Man.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
You fixed it, nm
And it's a story about people and humanity. You can't do a story about people and humanity if the situation they're in is inherently broken. The basic tenet of my argument is that no modern human society would see a little girl take a spear in the gut and say "Thumbs up, would watch again."
Pachterballs
Banned
@dave. some people get off eating shit. I certainly wouldn't go "Thumbs up, would try that once."
you can't apply real world logic to a science fiction world.
you can't apply real world logic to a science fiction world.
yuripaw and typae: well its a very softcock version of those two properties so i dunno what to tell you
its kinda fun
but pretty dumb
and it could have been more fun, but theres a bunch of boring scenes thrown in there and it feels kind of padded
lawrence is pretty good in it
and watching woody harrelson and donald sutherland mail a performance right the fuck in is always enjoyable
the love triangle shit is so unimportant btw. like the movie tries to make it a big deal but no one cares. like, literally, no one cares. not just the audience; the actual characters themselves barely give a shit, apart from the guy who wants to bone jennifer lawrence
youd like it a lot more if you were like 15 basically but its not an awful movie or anything
saya:
its kinda fun
but pretty dumb
and it could have been more fun, but theres a bunch of boring scenes thrown in there and it feels kind of padded
lawrence is pretty good in it
and watching woody harrelson and donald sutherland mail a performance right the fuck in is always enjoyable
the love triangle shit is so unimportant btw. like the movie tries to make it a big deal but no one cares. like, literally, no one cares. not just the audience; the actual characters themselves barely give a shit, apart from the guy who wants to bone jennifer lawrence
youd like it a lot more if you were like 15 basically but its not an awful movie or anything
saya:
i thought the brunette was from cato's district, am i retarded? she was yelling for him at the end when the black dude (totally under utilised btw, wtf at killing him off screen) was beating her face in. but blonde died to wasps bro. howd you miss that
Pachterballs
Banned
two girls died in the bee attack. I think the one who was shown all lumpy was the girl from district1. The other died off screen as she had died in the novel
nevermind
oh cato's girl was killed by black guy.
nevermind
oh cato's girl was killed by black guy.
Of course I question people's motives, and no I don't need "100% truth" (Edit: nvm I got it lol). But I need enough evidence to convict someone of their supposed crime. There isn't enough evidence here. The only similarity the two properties share is the overall premise of the government forcing teens to kill each other, which as I already said, isn't very original.
I expect other people to think like that because that is the philosophy that the entire American justice system was built upon, and while I realize we're not talking about laws here, the analogy is entirely appropriate. Innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent.
I'm not saying people should take everything they're told at face value, I'm saying they should be just as skeptical towards both sides of any argument, and if the evidence can't convince them that either side is more true than the other, then it's best to give the person on the receiving end of the judgment the benefit of the doubt, rather than saying "Well shit, I don't know, she must have copied it."
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Just got back. Really enjoyed it. Casting was spot on. I wish they had incorporated the previous tributes into the mutants instead of just making them big dogs. I loved that idea from the books. Kind of disappointed I enjoyed it as much as I did considering I now care about this series again which is unfortunate considering what a abomination the third book is. I hope they take a lot of creative freedom with that one.
Perfect.
Thanks Duki, sounds like an alright popcorn flick. I'll try to see if any of my friends are open to watching it again with me during Spring Break.
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
I had a huge problem with the setting/premise of the movie on a number of different levels. They kept saying that they were looking for a good show, but if that's the case, why is the age range 12-18? That makes no sense at all. 12 year olds would get slaughtered. Competitors between the ages of 18-24 would make a lot ore sense.
That is unless you really don't give a shit about the details of a story and simply want to sell a lot of books to 12-18 year olds.
That is unless you really don't give a shit about the details of a story and simply want to sell a lot of books to 12-18 year olds.
Pachterballs
Banned
read the book.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I'm not talking logic, I'm talking people.. The best science fiction is always about people interacting under extraordinary situations.
Edit: i.e. humanity under duress.
Yeah, the entire premise is deeply flawed.
Every year people send their 12-18 year old kids off to massacre each other purely for entertainment and do nothing but stand and watch? No.
All throughout human history, the oppressed have rebelled and fought back despite how badly the deck was stacked against them, with or without dissenters from the other side.
Cattle put up more of a fight than the people in the Hunger Games.
ShinobiFist
Banned
Bravo Hollywood, bravo. You managed to make the film worst then the book, a horrible book to add. Michael Bay would've made this film enjoyable at least.
Fixed1979
Member
Why wouldn't that age group make a good show, so what if the little ones get slaughtered? And obviously the selected age group is related to the core audience, to think otherwise is naive.
The only flaw with your statement is that the Games are a result of a rebellion, and also (not sure if spoiler)
leads to another rebellion, so basically you're arguing about something that hasn't happened yet and it plays out exactly how you would have expected.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I liked, at least, that they mentioned the frequent mobs and riots that the hunger games would incite in the Districts. My bigger problem is that there is no apparent dissent in the Capitol. I don't care how flawed a society is, you'll never hear a talk show host excitedly chattering away as a child violently dies.
because like
its a shitty tv show and a shitty sport
half your contestants are dead instantly
no sense of drama at all
No, I'm pretty sure the blonde girl was not killed by the wasps because she did not have the bow.
I mean this girl:
I made a mistake, she was not with Cato but with Marvel from District 1. Her name is Glimmer?
Kacho
Gold Member
Just got back from seeing it with my fiance. She liked it a lot and I thought it was boring.
My two major complaints are:
1. Rua didn't get enough screen time to make the audience care enough about her. If they had spent a little more time focusing on her they would have achieved the emotional impact I think they were going for.
2. Some of the dialogue was laughable.
Overall, I'd say it was a decent flick.
My two major complaints are:
1. Rua didn't get enough screen time to make the audience care enough about her. If they had spent a little more time focusing on her they would have achieved the emotional impact I think they were going for.
2. Some of the dialogue was laughable.
Overall, I'd say it was a decent flick.
Yes, people complain about shitty female characters all the time, but I wasn't this vague. And neither were you: Peeta is shitty because he didn't do anything. Many action movies with a male lead have a useless female character (or worse, a sex doll passing as a female "character"), and I honestly do not get the impression people complain about that as much as they're complaining about poor, useless Peeta (and Gale).
What's the problem with Peeta being useless, anyway? Is there a rulebook stating he needs to be useful? There were certainly plenty of other useless people in the arena.
I'm not sure it's supposed to be plausible. I believe it's intended to be an exaggeration, and the moral "lesson" (or whatever) is the parallels the exaggeration has with the real world. Like people's obsession with schadenfreude that they satisfy with reality shows (and the Hunger Games are a reality show).
Other than that, though, if you think you would've enjoyed this when you were a young adult, and this is a YA novel, then the novel is ultimately successful?
Fixed1979
Member
Your reason for the kids making it a bad show is because it's a shitty show and sport?
I'm not sure how changing the age group would save more lives at the start. The cornucopia is there for a reason and that is to start the Games with a bang.
I can't argue your last point as it's purely subjective, but clearly most people believe their is plenty of drama when the lives of kids are put on the line.
I don't remember specifically why, but the books put me in mind of the North Korea situation. Life for the average North Korean is almost unthinkably bad, but there's yet to be any sort of major organized rebellion because the society is set up heavily to reinforce the idea of the state as an all-powerful entity. You have individuals who defect, yet no real organized uprising yet.
Obviously the whole "murdering kids for ratings" thing is an exaggeration, but the idea that you can beat a populace down so badly they'll put up with shit that seems unbearable isn't totally without plausibility.
im saying the evidence convinced me. if it doesnt you, then ok. i think that silly. they are literally the same premise, and very famous intellectual properties. anyone who is going to start writing a book would research for ideas and stuff after thinking of it anyway.
and its totally not a good analogy because literally nothing happens to her if she is convicted in the court of duki of being less than wholly creative lol. there is not reasonable doubt standard here or some shit. hell if anything, burden of proof would be on the balance of probabilities. i think on the balance of probabilities, being totally ignorant of very famous properties which hold almost the exact same idea as yours is pretty unlikely. if you disagree ok. im still allowed to think shes full of shit.
literally im allowed to think people are full of shit, and people are literally allowed to not give a fuck about what i say
like i mean all you're saying at this point is that the evidence didnt convince you. all im saying is it did to me. no need to get philosophical about it, but no need to berate me either.
saya: damn i dont even know, they did such a poor job of differentiating the other contestants.
koodo: literally everyone who talks about movies or critiques them complains about worthless female characters in action movies. youre not making some amazingly perceptive claim about society or anything, literally everyone knows there are a lot of shitty female characters written in hollywood
i still dont know why its relevant or why you mentioned it. does having more shitty, useless male leads somehow make having shitty female leads better or something
How is that a flaw? People who rebel and are oppressed don't sit there and take it.
The people in the Hunger Games sat there and took it for 75 years without so much as a peep.
Pachterballs
Banned
No, I'm pretty sure the blonde girl was not killed by the wasps because she did not have the bow.
I mean this girl:
I made a mistake, she was not with Cato but with Marvel from District 1. Her name is Glimmer?
she died from the
wasps.
no i mean if youre going to make a sport, you try to have a little goddamn parity lol
its like asking why we have weight classes in boxing or something
producers of the show should be fired imo, very poor job
and the beginning rush for the gear is super retarded to begin with, everyone should s tart with a little bit of shit, and have them released into the game gradually so they have time to escape
much more enjoyable programming
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
What were your thoughts Solo?
ShinobiFist
Banned
I know, Twilight is better, on film and books.
It would probably make more sense to grab a group of kids all the same age, so like the same grade at school.
And for better drama, might as well just pick a bunch of kids that know each other anyway, so just grab a class from school for the games.
Add in your idea, and I think there's real promise here.
toxicgonzo
Taxes?! Isn't this the line for Metallica?
Pretty underwhelmed after seeing this. I thought every before the Games was pretty good, but once the Games started, nothing seemed impactful or had any weight to it. Rue and Katniss' relationship was extremely short and didn't allow any type of strong bond between them to form. I think the same can be said for Katniss and Peeta. My main complaint about it is that the Games didn't seem like a struggle for Katniss, where in the book it was a pretty heavy ordeal. I have plenty of other small complaints, but overall I just don't think this was a very good movie.
Pachterballs
Banned
you're basically wanting your version of whatever the show you want to see instead of the adpatation of the novel.
/shrug
they live in a policed state. they only lose 2 kids/year. to a lottery system. the film also does not explore tessarea.. I think it fine to leave that unspoilered. Its a nonsene word if you don't get the context and its not a big deal anyhow.
The districts don't know any better. Oppressed people just coped.
hence the thing about "the spark of hope"
@solo. I don't see a split on opinion. People are arguing against the world/plot etc but its an adaptation and a fairly faithful one at that.
people dying offscreen? Also in the book.
Fixed1979
Member
I don't think it's unreasonable to assume it took that much time for something else to happen. There was a war followed by a recovery followed by a complete lock down. The people are basically prisoners. I'm sure there's a possibility there were events that occurred between the war and these books, maybe someone from one of the districts stood up and was subsequently slaughtered, but we're not privy to them. We're made aware of the world through the eyes of a young girl who will not know or describe every event since the war.
Yeah they totally should have the District 1 Athletic Commission involved...
toastyToast
Member
With all that advanced technology that allowed for fireballs and big mutant dogs to materialize out of thin air, why weren't there any guns?
Also, about the fireballs
If this was a real show I probably would have given up after the initial run for equipment.
Also, about the fireballs
the progression of the show aspect was pretty stupid. After they start this ridiculous forest fire because Katniss starts straying too close to the border the land control aspect is completely ignored for the rest of the movie. If the people in the control room wanted to make an entertaining show they could have systematically destroyed sections of the grounds to force the contestants into smaller and smaller areas until they eventually had no other choice than to kill each other.
With that in mind, having big mutant dogs or zombie contestants or whatever it was from the book seems incredibly silly
With that in mind, having big mutant dogs or zombie contestants or whatever it was from the book seems incredibly silly
If this was a real show I probably would have given up after the initial run for equipment.
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
No. Just tell me why 12-18 are the selected age groups.
As for those asking why it makes a difference. As others have said it doesn't make for an interesting show or sport if the competitn is not good. 12 year olds aren't going to compete at all against 18 year olds, where as 18 to 24 wouldn't just be more fair across the board, it would make for a better show for the audience. No one wants to watch a high school football team play against a bunch of 6th graders.
ikr
in universe, people in the capitol would be pissed off at how shitty a tv show theyre getting
some simple changes and bam, twice the entertainment
Pachterballs
Banned
whatttttt?! I don't remember this.
@kungfujedi
does it even matter what the age group is? Its random lottery and there's a thing in the book; the tessare; where you enter the ballot at 12 and the you can chose to up your votes if you need oil/food - and the effects are culmative. eg. GALE the townboy who was with katniss; has 42 votes/year because he went for it and is older; and has gone for tessare for his family of 4. Evening primrose; kat's sister was in the game for the first time and only had 4 votes. I think Katnis has like 24 votes in that bowl.The age thing also means - that older kids (past 19 are more valuable for industry) can go work in the mines etc. THe kids are expendable. The younger the kids are; they also don't have as much of a chance of being picked. The movie obviously has no room to explain this. Hence the line "may the odds be with you. "be with you to NOT get picked" "be with you to survive the games if you do".
If you want to have issues; you could even argue about the career tributes. District 1-3 are the wealthy districts; where they can afford to train their children to volunteer to play the games. CAto/Marvel/Glimmer etc were all careers. They have the advantage of being trained, well fed.. hence the advantage there. Because they are volunteers; theres a greater chance that those district kids are bigger and older. Katniss wasn't trained but she had to hunt for food to survive so this story; was how she managed to stay alive through the games
If you want to have issues; you could even argue about the career tributes. District 1-3 are the wealthy districts; where they can afford to train their children to volunteer to play the games. CAto/Marvel/Glimmer etc were all careers. They have the advantage of being trained, well fed.. hence the advantage there. Because they are volunteers; theres a greater chance that those district kids are bigger and older. Katniss wasn't trained but she had to hunt for food to survive so this story; was how she managed to stay alive through the games
btw the games really isn't about fairness. Cruelty as sport.
Great concept, not so great execution. Lawrence was great.
Just because its a faithful adaptation doesn't mean its good (see: the first two Harry Potter movies, which were faithful to a fault and are dreadfully boring). Hence the clear split in opinions here.
VeryGooster
Banned
Well, I'm not sure why specifically 12 to 18 is the choice, with 18 being mostly viewed as crossing into legal adult, and 12 arguably pre-teen/teenager but overall I take it as the Capitol trolling the lower districts, saying "Here are these 'fantastic' games we force you to celebrate! And as a reminder of your pathetic attempts to rebel all those years ago, we're going to make your children kill each other rather than simply obliterate you, just because we can!"
I'm not sure if it's the answer you're looking for but that's what I take from it.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
What bothered you the most execution wise?
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
Pachter balls: thanks for he explanation. Still kind of defies the logic and demands for a "good show" but in the crappy concept of a post-apocalyptic world that we have here, I guess readers and viewers are going to have to live with it. The story has lots of issues to say the least and this is just one of them.
Edit: And I'm not talking about fairness, I'm simply talking about what would make a good game/show for the audience.
Edit: And I'm not talking about fairness, I'm simply talking about what would make a good game/show for the audience.
That they took a concept so ripe with potential and did nothing but scratch the surface of it. Where was the social commentary and the exploration of the effects of the Games on the participants and society at large? Secondly, I felt that the movie's emotional beats rung out completely hollow with the exception of Rue. Then of less critical damage are the shakey cam and crappy production values.
BertramCooper
Banned
VeryGooster
Banned
It's something that a 142-minute film could feel that hasty, and the funny thing is I wouldn't even turn anyone away and would still recommend it. Many parts of it are well done, I thought.
Pachterballs
Banned
there was also talk in the books about "poor game/shows for the audience" but it wasn't to do with age. In prior games, they picked a desert with no cover etc and the game consisted of people dehydrating to death and that wasn't good tv. and one year where they didn't give them wood (somewhere urban) and they couldn't start fires and couldn't keep warm and just hid and froze to death (also not good tv). They don't always fight in the same place.
there was also talk after of how these venues later becamse theme park of sorts for the capitol citizenry; where they'd tour the prep chambers and walk around to tour spots where tributes had died.
there was also talk after of how these venues later becamse theme park of sorts for the capitol citizenry; where they'd tour the prep chambers and walk around to tour spots where tributes had died.
seriously, not a bad setting/world. certainly superior to sparkly vampies+werewolves.. etc.
seriously. I hope they have an unrated cut. I think that would really fix the emotional/connection issues. By diminishing the violence; they definitely lessened the impact of the movie - its less dangerous. The games are dangerous. I'd love a cut where they don't cut away right away from the violence.
Cato's mauled face;
Indeed. I actually think this is the very rare movie that could have benefited from being another half hour longer, with that time mostly spent on developing the characters and relationships (and a bit more time on the Games).
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