Hunger Games

[imwalde]

Just got back from seeing The Hunger Games, and I am thrilled to say it was pretty fantastic. The casting had made me nervous, but everyone sold me. Having only seen Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet when the casting was first announced, I thought she was too glamorous to be a good Katniss, but she was fucking amazing. Peeta and Gale were both good, too. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was the hardest for me to get used to because he was the farthest from how I had imagined the character. I'm not sure what people who never read the books would make of movie Haymitch. He just seems like a drunken asshole at first, and of course, he is, but the movie isn't nearly as clear that it's because he's broken from having had to coach all these kids who die year after year. Woody Harrelson just had this whole other energy than my imagination's Haymitch.

Other quibbles: I missed the bread from District 11, I loved that part of the book, although I suppose it wasn't strictly necessary. And the mutts were just CGI monsters, they never explained that they were MADE FROM THE DEAD TRIBUTES ZOMG. And the movie doesn't so much have an ending, it just stops. I think they should have explained some of what was to come (the victory tour, constantly being monitored and filmed) for the benefit of newbies, because while Haymitch did say that the Capitol wasn't happy with Katniss, the stakes going forward were not very clear.

But all in all, that was pretty awesome. I somehow irrationally feel proud that the movie did so well this weekend. Can't wait for Catching Fire!