First of all, let me just say I haven’t read the books yet (yes, I know, horrible), but I plan to ASAP. My review is from the viewpoint of one who did not know the story before watching the movie. Secondly, rest assured that I really, really enjoyed this movie. If I’m posting a review on my blog about it (and not just on Rotten Tomatoes) that means I either really loved it or hated it. I take my blog space pretty seriously. In fact, I’ll try to make this as concise and free of spoilers as possible.
I saw The Hunger Games in IMAX Friday night, and the experience was pretty close to what I expected. Purely. Incredible. Storytelling. (…with a couple minor glitches)
The first few scenes before Katniss shouts “I volunteer” were quite good. I loved the relationship between Katniss and Primrose (my own little sister has blonde hair and I have dark hair, and we’re close just like they were, so it seemed quite familiar) and I loved Katniss’s spirit and determination. Jennifer Lawrence was a great cast for this role. I also enjoyed Liam Hemsworth as Gale and Elizabeth Banks in the role of Effie Trinket. Her costumes (and all the other crazy ones you see in the film) were quite entertaining.
The “I volunteer” scene was a little…odd…to me. It seemed kinda choppy and rushed. I was disappointed, because I was expecting the same chills I felt watching the movie trailer. They quickly made up for that disappointment, though, with the appearance of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Yum is all I have to say.
After that, the rest of the movie wowed me. Woody Harrelson had me laughing my head off in a movie that I thought would have me bawling the whole way through. Add in a drunkard and your audience won’t feel like committing suicide after the movie. There are so many other actors I could applaud but basically let’s just say the cast was flawless. The CGI was spectacular as well.
I guess the greatest thing about this film was the story itself, and the credit for that has to go to Suzanne Collins. What a writer. I can’t wait to read her books, and I fully intend to before the second film comes out. I would definitely recommend READING THE BOOKS FIRST. I know some people say not to (sorry in advance to the friend who told me not to, heh) but they confused the heck out of me with some of the symbols and references I didn’t understand because I hadn’t read the books. READ THE BOOKS! You won’t regret it. (the e-version is selling for $18.99 for the WHOLE SERIES at the Amazon Kindle Store right now).
I can’t wait for the second installment of this series, “Catching Fire,” which is due to be released on November 22, 2013. It seems like far too long a wait.
I give “The Hunger Games” an 8.5/10.
Life Behind the Pages: A Writer's Journal 
I’m going to see this with my 10 year old sister next week (she fell asleep the first time she saw it due to a late showing, bless) but like you I haven’t read the books. Don’t really have much time to so I’m hoping just watching the trailer will suffice…
Thanks for the follow! It’s ok if you can’t read it, you’ll still love it. I can almost guarantee 🙂
I haven’t read it either but I just have to say that I don’t like the idea of kids murdering each other, no matter what the reason is. just saying.
Glad you liked it! I too liked it, perhaps not as much as you, but I still throughly enjoyed it! Have you read the books yet? Personally, I thought the film was better than the books due to its far simpler more nuanced narrative. I feel like the stuff they left out wasn’t necessary anyway and they can clarify it in the next installments.
I haven’t had a chance to read the books yet (money running low lol) but the minute I get my hands on one I’ll be mentally comparing the film and the book constantly haha. Thanks for the follow and glad you enjoyed my review! 🙂