Reaping Week presents - THE GAMES REVIEW IS HERE!

Review for the Hunger Games Movie!

That’s right, it’s finally here. We can all stop wetting ourselves with excitement because THE MOVIE IS FINALLY OUT! Now, after the midnight screening, I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the movie. Just slightly. I knew it would never meet my high expectations but I just expected a little more. I saw it today for a second time though and it was just SO MUCH BETTER! I don’t know if it was because my eyeballs weren’t falling out from tiredness, or I knew what to expect this time, but I’m glad I gave it another chance.

FROM THIS POINT FORTH THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. POTENTIALLY BIG ONES. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK OR WISH TO GO INTO THE MOVIE COMPLETELY UNAWARE THEN LOOK AWAY NOW. AND ONCE YOU’VE SEEN IT, COME BACK AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE J

My Review:

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how to tackle this because there was a LOT I wanted to comment on. I think I’ll break it down into a list of likes and dislikes then give it a rating out of five. LET’S DO THIS!

Ultimate Awesomeness:

1.    The acting. Every last cast member (bah one, actually) blew my expectations out of the arena. JLaw was perfect with everything she did. The emotion was there but she didn’t overact. That girl is pure Katniss. Josh and Liam were phenomenal (even though you see Liam for all of two seconds *sadface*) and you’ll never believe this BUT, JoshactuallygotmelovingthePeets! The careers were all spot on (especially that Alexander Ludwig), and of course Rue shone on the screen. I’d just like to take a moment to say how amazing Willow Shields was as Prim. Holy mothercussin’ Moly, that girl can act. She brought out the only tears I shed in the movie.

2.    The tracker jacker scene. All you need to know is it was there and it was AWESOME!

3.    The Capitol and all people there. It’s exactly like you’d imagine in the book, and Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci really bring the people alive. I even love the little scenes they added between President Snow and Seneca Crane.  They really made the total disregard for human life believable.

4.    The three finger salute in District twelve and the reaction from District eleven. The riot is more intense than the games, I think.

The Parts to be Sword-Bladed:

1.    Rue’s death. I can’t believe I’m writing that here but the aftermath of her death is so much more moving than the actual death. The lack of music in this part, and when Prim’s name is first called, really detracted from the scene. There was a lack of emotion (NOT by the actors) that prevented the tears from coming. It was as though I was watching from the Capitol and realised I’d just lost a bet. Shallow emotions like that are NOT what you want when those scenes in the book tore my heart out!

2.    I also hate to say this but… Haymitch. Woody Harrelson just did not get this character at all. He’s less of a tortured drunk with a big soul, and more of a drunk who just pissed me right off. Also, (there is a HUGE chance I’m wrong here, since I didn’t reread the books) but wasn’t Haymitch’s advice to them “Stay alive”?  It doesn’t happen in the movie even though in those two words it completely sums up his character. His sarcasm. The fact that was missing seriously brought the movie down.

3.    The Hunger Games. Again, I KNOW! But the thing here is, there was so little fighting. I think it was this more than anything that disappointed me on first viewing. But on second viewing it was okay because there was a lot of focus on the characters and their development. Instead of being an insane action flick (that could have totally happened) they kept the emotion and fighting as raw as possible which worked, but in a completely different way. It was a very sad movie; though it should have been a lot sadder.

There were a few technical things that Lionsgate did that I didn’t agree with. I won’t get right into the camera angles and the reasoning behind them, or why they had a soundtrack BUT DIDN’T USE ANY OF THE MUSIC IN THE MOVIE, but yeah. If you notice that type of thing, be prepared to be annoyed.

Really, I think it’s best to sum it up with a rating. I wanted to give it a three but then I realised it only deserved that if I was comparing it to the book. So I’m giving it two scores. As an adaption, I’d say a three and a half (because it’s a whole lot better than any I’ve seen) but as a stand-alone movie it would get a four. I seriously enjoyed it once I managed to get past the things that had been changed. AND ONCE I DIDN’T HAVE TWO VERY ANNOYING FRIENDS MAKING SNIDE COMMENTS.

I’m pretty sure this is a movie anyone would love – even the fans of the book. And there are parts that I think just about everyone will hate/be irritated by.

Either way, I encourage you to see it and make up your own mind. It’s definitely worth it. And please, stop on by and let me know what you thought! If you blog about it, leave a link in the comments because I haven’t heard any other opinions as yet and am keen to see what the rest of you think!

As for right now, I’m going to go whine about how Catching Fire (and Finnick) are still over a year away!

Reaping Week presents Catching Fire! And a FIRST!

I reread this one. Firstly so I could remember, you know, the actual story. And second, to see if I was softened towards Peeta at all.

Put it this way, after reading this book I wanted to be gearing up for a Catching Fire release – not a Hunger Games one.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERY INFO AHEAD, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS ONE YET, PROCEED WITH CAUTION GUYS. OR, YOU KNOW, CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER THAT ROCK YOU’VE BEEN OCCUPYING. YOUR CHOICE.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the book that sets the bar for this series and every dystopian that followed it. I’m not ashamed to say I loved it. I know I told my fifi (fiancé) on at least one occasion that he would love this book and why doesn’thejustreaditalreadybecauseit’sreallyawesome! *deepbreath*

My review:

At Face Value: Meh. They go okay. Not as bad as the first cover but not as good as the new one. Still screamed Sci Fi like there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

Immediate Reaction: Holy to the muthacussing macarolli! What a cliffhanger! What a book! On the first read I nearly cried when I realised Mockingjay wasn’t out for MONTHS! Damn those forums and their engaging Team Gale/Peeta discussions!

High Five: OH MY GOD! YES! I can’t believe it. I’m actually giving a book 5! 5 people! I’ve been waiting for this day to come and I really can’t think of a good reason not to. It makes me a little sad to realise I’m replacing Cinder, though. BUT I'M FINALLY GIVING OUT  FIVE! *thud*

Favourite Quote: “I squint down at my feet and see that my metal plate is surrounded by blue waves that lap up over my boots. Slowly I raise my eyes and take in the water spreading out in every direction.

I can only form one clear thought.

This is no place for a girl on fire.”

For those lame-os that don’t know, Catching Fire is the sequel to the Hunger Games and occasionally, just rarely, a sequel comes along that blows its previous companion out of the water. This is that book. The title is clever, especially if read as ‘Catching Katniss’ and opens up a whole lot of questions before you even open that awful cover.

There are three main reasons why this book got a five. And one clear reason why it shouldn’t have. But we’ll get to the latter, later.

The magnificent first reason: the tributes. This time around I can see them all (at least the ones that are described). I loved Johanna Mason. To be honest, I kind of just wanted the book to be about her an itsy bit. She was fun, she was so alive, and she was the kind of character that just stays with you. Nuts and Volts were cute as a button, and Mags made me smile. And cry.

But let’s talk about Finnick Odair for a second. I love him. More than the others even. Maybe even more than Gale by a smidgeon (yep, can’t believe I just said that). He’s brave and strong and smart and just oh-so-good-looking. He’s a tease and has a big heart and THAT SCENE WITH THE JABBERJAYS! What a poor, tortured, pretty thing he is!

The second reason: the arena. The Hunger Games have been taken to a whole new level of disturbing, ladies and gentlemen. And of course they have; it’s the Quarter Quell! Instead of just having tributes hunting your arse, the arena is literally fighting back. Not just a flame ball here or a poisonous berry there, but real threats that attack your body and screw with your mind. There’s also less of Katniss acknowledging the viewers and more of her calculating her moves against the Capitol. It was like some warped game of chess. I’m not going to give away too much over the arena but Plutarch Heavensbee puts Seneca Crane to shame.

The third reason this book garnered a hard-to-come-by five is because of Gale. We get to see so much more from him in this one. He’s strong and knows exactly what he wants. He lights up every page and I reckon he and Johanna should get it on a little bit. The thing is though, the chemistry between him and Katniss is just so ALIVE! I know people will disagree with me, but it was clear, in this book at least, who Katniss chose. Her heart was Gale’s and if the series had ended there she would have chosen him.

Now let’s talk a little about Peeta. I promised to try and like him a little more and I actually did (surprise!) but he really took a back seat in this one (maybe that's why!). There were some really sweet moments between him and Katniss but it’s clear they don’t have the same spark as her and Gale. The strange thing is, even though Peeta inhabits a lot of this book, I hardly remember him having a really active role. He was more like Katniss’s shadow than a character in his own right. This is pretty much the only reason Catching Fire wouldn’t have gotten a five. Then I remind myself that if Peeta had more of a role, the others wouldn’t have, and suddenly I’m okay with how it all went down.

Katniss grows a heck load, and her already sarcastic inner self snarks up the pages. It’s awesome. I love how she reacts in the districts and to President Snow and towards the other tributes. I love pretty much any page that both she and Haymitch occupy.

Then there’s these scenes that the book would have been nothing without: Johanna stripping down after the chariot ride, the announcement – and Katniss’s subsequent breakdown – of the Quarter Quell. The visit to District 11, Katniss telling Haymitch who she wanted as allies, her prep team, any part with Cinna or Gale. AND THE ENDING! THAT I WILL NOT SPOIL BUT IS ABSOLUTE AWESOMENESS!

So, after my reread I think there should be more teams than just Gale and Peeta. I’d also like ones for Johanna, Finnick, Haymitch, Cinna and Wiress. Umm… I think that is all. Pleaseandthankyou.

Now onto Mockingjay!