Since
The Hunger Games (click
here to read my review!), I have read the trilogy and it has very quickly become my favorite franchise of all time. I never cared really for
Harry Potter, and looking up
Twilight was purely research - or in other words torture - however, this story was for me! I loved everything in the book and well, if you have read my review you'll know that I loved the movie very much too. What made the books even better was the fact that I read them while imagining
Lawrence and
Hutcherson so every time a new trailer came out my heart just skipped out of my body and I went insane with excitement! I can't remember the last time I wanted to see a movie this bad, but I have literally been counting down the days until finally:
The story picks up just a few months after our heroes have returned home. They are currently awaiting the victory tour where they visit all of the districts, give speeches, attend dinners and parties. It seems that
Katniss is disturbed throughout the whole trip as she was previously threatened by the
President Snow to make sure she acts very much in love with
Peeta, even though she loves
Gale.
During the tour she gets closer to
Peeta, who seems to be the only one who is able to suffocate her nightmares. But those nightmares return once they find out that for this year's 75th Hunger Games - the Quarter Quell - the players for the games will be chosen from the living pool of victors.
Katniss, being the only girl from their district, is forced back into the arena, and
Peeta takes
Haymitch's place. But the stakes are higher this time around, as they are no longer fighting children, but trained killers who themselves have defeated others to be here.
Katniss this time around has a plan - she is going to do everything she can to keep
Peeta alive. She fears that if she stays alive
Snow will come for her and her family, but there is still hope for
Peeta who was the crowd favorite from the beginning. Inside the arena they team up with District 4's
Finnick Odair and
Mags, and are later joined by District 3's
Beetee and
Wiress, and finally a young temperamental girl by the name of
Johanna - from District 7- who clearly doesn't like
Katniss, but it seems that these all were instructed by
Haymitch to do as
Katniss wished.
Beetee comes up with a genius mechanism to blow up the rest of the competition, but
Katniss remembers in time who the real enemy is and she shoots an arrow with the wire right into the force-field of the arena - causing it to blow up.
Katniss is awoken by
Gale, who tells her that the revolution has begun and there is no more District 12 - and that
Peeta is still in the capitol.
Although I loved all of the books upon talking about it with a friend of mine, I realized that this was my favorite. I look forward to the ending as I loved how the characters evolved during the pages of the novels, but for now let me just enjoy this for a while!
There is something that I never got to do while I always thought that it was the coolest thing ever - that is, to see a movie during the pre-premiere midnight screening. And I actually managed to get tickets for it so I saw this wonderful movie on Wednesday at midnight and let me tell you, I'm glad it was this movie :D
Where can I begin? First of all, I hate those people who brag on and on about how the book is better than the movie - well guess what?
They do not cancel each other out! Just because there is a movie, doesn't mean you can't re-read the book again! And keep that in mind. This movie was as physically accurate as it can get and keep in mind that it was already over two hours long. Visually stunning, green screen was done beautifully and the animation was off the hook! Really the best I have seen in years. Story-wise incredibility accurate and you could see right away what is important in regards to the first movie and what is important for the finale of the trilogy.
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I also had to realize that any scenes I made up in my mind are: In my mind. I don't need a director to shoot what I wanted, I want a movie that tries to give me all it can and it did that. The first scene till the last one where all things I already saw before me and I was not disappointed. If I had to bring something as a downside then the only criticism would be timing. And I can't bring that up - of course a movie is shorter than a book! It would be stupid if they kept emphasizing details like:
"Two hours later." and therefore the story had to be changed a bit, but it was all for the good. The time in the arena was shorter and some will argue that they didn't starve again... I just hate that - it is made PG-13 for a reason! Yes, they figure out sooner how to get water, who cares? If you want to be hang up on such insignificant details, then you don't know the first rule of adaptations: Cohesion. If it works inside the movie, then it is OK.
And above all I will award the movie, because it was claimed that it will bring more attention to the love triangle and it really didn't. Yes, of course we get a clearer sign on where
Gale stands and where
Katniss's heart might actually lie. However, it wasn't like in
Twilight where I felt that a big red sign just kept flashing: "LOVE TRIANGLE - YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO CARE!". And here timing comes in again. There is a total amount of two things I wanted from the movie, that I didn't get: A lot of emphasis is put on how
Katniss can only sleep without nightmares next to
Peeta. A couple more scenes with them in bed would've been nice. And lastly, they do mention the pregnancy, but my favorite bit is when
Peeta refers to it inside the arena and they didn't use that.
Ever since I watch adaptations I never really understood why they change the dialogue from the book. I'm sure there is a reason - for example when the scene has to be shorter, but otherwise why? The book clearly sold well, then why? I don't know. And that will always be a mystery. That is always a good counterargument against adaptations, but the changes worked, so screw it! I loved this movie!
Elizabeth Banks made so much with her character, that I was amazed; The small hints of
Snow's disease? Awesome! The interviews with the tributes? Phenomenal.
Prim Everdeen's evolution from small little girl to a hopeful fighter - mesmerizing.
Jena Malone,
Sam Claflin,
Phyllip Seymour Hoffman,
Woody Harrelson and the wonderful
Donald Sutherland? Do I even need to say anything about
Hutcherson and
Lawrence? I'm sure you know, you will not be disappointed but either of them!
I'm watching it again this Friday :D Trust me, you'll want this in imax - and you'll want it now! Till then, buy the soundtrack as it is awesome!
Until the next item on my list and
May the odds be ever in your favor!
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