Monday 19 March 2012

Hunger Games Gets Tasty Reviews

The reviews are in and the odds are forever in the favour of director Gary Ross, author Suzanne Collins and stars Jennifer Lawrence and co... thank the MovieLord!  Sorry if this just looks like a rather large movie poster but  I'd just like to share with you some of the good stuff the occasionally lovely people of movie criticism have been saying.


The Telegraph says: 'That Bella Swan; she’s no Katniss Everdeen. Both teenage heroines journey deep into the woods at dusk, but while Twilight's Bella returns flanked by bickering supernatural beefcake, Katniss emerges alone, smeared in blood and muck and gnawing on the charred remains of a spatchcocked squirrel... The Hunger Games is an essential science fiction film for our times; perhaps the essential science fiction film of our times. Whatever your age, it demands to be devoured' (5 stars)


Empire says:  'There’s no required reading before entering the cinema in order to ‘get it’, and it’s well above the ‘all your favourite bits but with pictures’ business that has become the accepted standard... The Hunger Games as a novel has been dissected, expanded and retooled into something intelligent, immersive and powerfully current... As thrilling and smart as it is terrifying. There have been a number of big-gun literary series brought to screen over the past decade. This slays them all' (4 stars)


The Guardian says: 'The Hunger Games is that rarest of beasts: a Hollywood action blockbuster that is smart, taut and knotty. Ably filleted from the Suzanne Collins bestseller, it's a compelling, lightly satirical tale of a post-apocalyptic entertainment industry, set in a dystopian US in which the terrified contestants are selected via lottery and second place does not exist' (4 stars)


Total Film says: 'There’s still plenty of what the censor calls ‘injury detail’ plus enough clever editing to make you feel the pain. Prime example? The grand, grisly start to the Games themselves, where it’s everyone vs everyone and bodies drop like dominoes. Ross mutes the sound effects and chops the carnage into almost subliminal flashes, avoiding explicitness without losing the horror... What’s remarkable is the lack of cheese. Tacky effects, corny dialogue and creaky performances are all shown the door. We repeat: not the new Twilight.' (4 stars)


The Hollywood Reporter says: 'Lawrence remains compelling all the way. As in Winter's Bone, she's onscreen alone, or nearly so, a great deal, and she holds one's attention unselfconsciously, without asking for attention or even doing much other than the task at hand. Lawrence is one of those performers the camera loves; her appearance alters in different scenes and shots -- lingering baby fat shows here, she resembles a Cleopatra there -- and she can convey a lot by doing little. An ideal screen actress'


See Front Room Cinema's review here.

But don't listen to me, them or anyone else.  Go see it for yourself and help make it one of the biggest films of the year!  Could this be bigger than The Dark Knight Rises?  I'm looking forward to the movie blogging community sharing their reviews so please post links in the comment box and I'll be sure to read them!

12 comments:

  1. Aww, this is awesome, Pete! Man, definitely happy you're such a big fan of The Hunger Games. I am incredibly pumped to see the film with friends this coming Friday, and Friday cannot come soon enough!! Happy to be reading such good reviews already. Went over to Rotten Tomatoes and the film has a 100% rating (but with only 16 reviews so far). I imagine it faring well, but we'll see how things go this week. Thanks for sharing those!

    Also, as for its comparison to The Dark Knight Rises - definitely a different audience. A more age-diverse audience will attend The Hunger Games, more on the younger end, I'm sure, despite its wide appeal. More adults in their 20-30s+ will be into TDKR. That's my thought, at least!

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  2. Yeah I think I might be taking my teen nephew to it on Saturday now! Can't wait, so pleased with all the positive reviews! Hope you enjoy it!

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  3. I know very little about the novel this is based on except that it is geared towards young adults. Just glad it isn't anything like Twilight, otherwise the possibility of me going to watch this would be as close to zero as it ever could.

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    1. No this promises to be infinitely better than Twilight!

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  4. I think this is one of those movies that'll be 'critics-proof' I for one will go see it despite of the reviews, though I think it'll at least get a decent response from critics. I might wear my Mockingjay pin next week, I got that from Comic-con and I actually like the look of it.

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    1. haha yeah do it! Yeah I think you're right about it being critic-proof but it's still very exciting to see all the positive reviews so far!

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  5. Well I saw it last night, and I am afraid to say it was a steaming pile of..... AWESOMENESS!!!
    I am going to leave the review upt o Teri, who saw it with me.

    You are going to love it Pete

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    1. Yesssssssss, glad to hear it Scott, I'll be waiting eagerly for Teri's review!

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  6. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't read the book but I think the concept sounds great and the early word is encouraging.

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    1. Definitely a great concept and sounds like the filmmakers have pretty much nailed it which is a huge relief!

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  7. Looking forward to checking this out on Friday, or maybe midnight Thursday if I can convince my brother to go see it then. I loved Lawrence in Winters Bone and this film looks to continue the trend.

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    1. Yep it's absolutely perfect casting! Winter's Bone was like the perfect audition tape for playing Katniss! Lawrence is gonna rock it!

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