I know I’m a tad late on both of these, but for many of you, it means you’ve probably gotten the chance to see them already and won’t accidentally stumble across any spoilers in the blogosphere before you get the chance to see them for yourself. You might be wondering why I didn’t immediately write about about the Hunger Games the SECOND after seeing it, considering how stoked I have been about it for the past few MONTHS. Allow me to explain why…
The other day my hubby and I were watching the 2nd Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers. Not for the first time, obviously. These movies are so superbly done that they make great movies for watching again and again… although with lengthy breaks in between. They are so full of detail, imagery, and spectacular cinematography, that they suck you right in. I remember reading the books when they were first talking about making the movies and thinking, there is no way they will be able to pull most of this off in a film version. Peter Jackson and crew proved me wrong.
One of the main things that struck me while I was watching this film, is the graphic violence and psychological turmoil that is visible on-screen. The scene where Frodo is sucked into the marshes filled with the dead bodies of the elves and men soldiers who has died on the battlefield many years before… the ocrs getting their heads chopped off… Frodo slowly becoming mad as the ring takes over his mind… and the shock and terrified feeling I get watching the elf leader die during the battle of helm’s deep.
Hmm… I thought while watching this movie, The Lord of the Rings series is rated PG-13. They manage to to conduct some very violent and graphic battle scenes, as well as some psychologically terrifying images, within their rating. I literally had to check the rating of The Hunger Games after I got out of that theater to see if it had only been rated PG instead of PG-13. This was my biggest issue with the movie. I wanted to feel TERRIFIED of the capitol, of President Snow, of the dreadful and shocking Games in which children are being sent to an arena to fight to the death. I wanted to SOB my eyes out when Rue took the fall. I wanted to be psychologically traumatized by the dog beasts and how long it would take them to kill Kato during the final scene. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat as Katniss came so very close to death time and time again before she could be saved at the very last minute. I wanted to SEE and UNDERSTAND the full depth of the terror these characters were being put through. I just didn’t get that out of it. They looked healthy and well as the games came to a close, not on the verge of crossing over from dehydration, starvation, and fear.
Call me dark, but I was opting for a darker film. I am now hoping that they go the route of the Harry Potter movies and become darker and darker with each installment. The characters will become more mature after all, and their audience should be growing up right along with them. Also, I just can’t image how they are going to translate the last book especially, into a film version without adding a lot more intense graphic violence.
Not to say that you shouldn’t go and see this movie. Elizabeth Banks’ performance as Effie is reason enough to plop down your $10 at the box office. It is entertaining and fun, and does portray some fabulous visuals straight out of the book’s descriptions (especially of how the people in the capital dress themselves!) In fact, I’ll probably be seeing it again before it comes out of DVD, as some of my friends and family are working on the books now and will probably want to see the film version. Perhaps I’ll enjoy it better the second time around, when I won’t have such sky-high, impossible to satisfy hopes for it.
The other film I recently went and saw with muh ladies was Mirror Mirror. There were 7 of us out in downtown Seattle, celebrating my best friend’s upcoming wedding at her bachelorette party. I cannot think of a better flick we could have seen on this occasion. This was a FUN (all-caps for emphasis) movie!! Do not buy tickets for this film thinking it was be a dark, adult rendition of the childhood fairy tale, but more of a gimmicky, comedic approach to the whole concept. I was wondering how Julia Roberts was going to pull off being “evil,” but she fit her character as the vain stepmother PERFECTLY. “You’re irritating,” she snips at Snow White. It’s all bright fun colors and ridiculous costumes, separated by giggle-worthy one-liners (mostly from Nathan Lane and the 7 dwarves.)
Have you seen any new movies lately? Any recommendations? What about in regards to the Hunger Games, were you satisfied or dissapointed with the film version?
