(I don't think I have posted any spoilers here for the first movie in case anyone reading hasn't seen it yet)
Perhaps people who have read the books can explain this to me... I was totally and utterly underwhelmed by the first movie. I felt like there was no character development or story amongst all the kids in the game after it started. All I got was Kat by herself forever, then suddenly it was over. I was like "Da Hell?!?!" I really wanted to see or know some kind of actual sociological game play ala Survivor or Amazing Race. How did the various alliances form? Was Peta some sociological game playing genius? Kat does well, because she's a good hider? I just felt like so much viewpoint was missing in the film. So was this in the book? Or is a large portion of the book Kat hiding alone with her thoughts? And the book doesn't explain anything going on with any other contestants either? I was just all kinds of meh at the end.
@Xander- Yes, the book explains it all. I played a drinking game while I was watching the movie and had to drink every time something differed from the book. I was drunk as fuck before they even got to the arena, and didn't even remember the movie the next day. I had to rewatch it sober. The whole time I just kept thinking, "There's no way anyone who didn't read the book would get this. There's no way anyone who didn't read the book would get this." The book was good. The movie was not.
Thank you Xander. I felt the same way. I guess you have to read the book and I'm just now thinking about Game of Thrones so I don't know when the hell I'm gonna get this one read.
Xander, agreed the first movie did seem to skip over the character development. I hope Catching Fire will do a better job. My husband hadn't read the books and felt the same way you did. The book was much better than the movie but here's hoping the following movies are more developed. The trailer looks great.
I am a huge fan of the books. I have read each of them three times through. I HAAAAAAATE the first movie. It was done absolutely horribly. The problem was that the director did her "vision" of the book instead of the actual story. I can't even watch it.
So Xander, and whoever (whomever?) didn't read the book, you should. The book is written from Katniss' point of view, so you don't really see a lot of the others unless they are interacting with her. However, you still get the character development, and you get invested in them because of it.
I am actually excited about Catching Fire, because there is a new director. The preview seems amazing and like it is really telling the story of the book.
That is the issue sometimes with making books into movies. Yes, there was not enough character development in the movie and the book was pretty detailed in the flashbacks and experiences of the Katniss. The movie felt very rushed to me, but if it was longer people might have complained that it was too long. It also seemed to struggle with how to interpret the events from Katniss' point of view like the book does.
I haven't read the books and got talked into seeing the movie which I ended up sort of enjoying. It was mindlessly entertaining, in my opinion. I heard some other people afterwards who were upset because so much differed from the book, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on any storyline. Then again, I really don't like to do much thinking when watching a movie. Or doing anything else, really ;)
The first book didn't really lend itself to being a movie, because so much of it was an internal dialog. JLaw did a commendable job showing through her facial expressions much of what she was thinking, but without a lot of voiceovers, it was impossible to capture the gist of the first film.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don't like this second trailer. It seems like they are playing "catch up" to set up the second Games' premise, and then not exactly explaining that there IS A SECOND GAMES! If you haven't read the books, you'd have no idea that 80% of the movie will take place in a second games.
Also, I msut gather up the courage to tell the Starbucks barista that my name is Primrose Everdeen, and then when they call out the name, get up and yell: I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!!!
@ Xander - I felt the same way; I hadn't read the book.
I mentioned once in a post that I'd heard that the HG author had ripped off a very similar Japanese novel (Battle Royale) and someone here jumped up my ASS. I haven't read either authors but maybe someone here can weigh in.
@Mango It is a total rip-off of BR. Anyone who doesn't think so hasn't read/seen Battle Royale (btw, if you haven't read/seen Battle Royale, get to it asap). I'd still recommend reading The Hunger Games, though. It's pretty good. (Second & third books not recommended. Jmo)
@Mango - Battle Royale movie is actually available on Netflix! (I have it in my instant que but haven't had time to watch yet)
@Everyone else - Thanks! That makes a lot more sense now. The author should have collaborated with the screenwriter more to explain what was happening then... They could have translated it from inner Kat thoughts to onscreen action and character development much better that way. I really wanted to know at least some names and character traits of all the kids. Then I might have actually cared is any of them died. Take a lesson from J.K. Rowling's hands on guidance to the Harry Potter screenwriters, producers, and actors. A movie is not a book and a book is not a movie. There need to be adjustments for each medium.
@Seachica - I think that is the whole point of the trailer, though. The games in the second book are a big reveal. The characters don't see it coming. I think this trailer is trying to lend to keeping that shock for people who haven't read the books.
The author of Battle Royale admitted he borrowed from Stephen King's The Running Man and The Long Walk. And similar concepts have popped up in sci-fi before. Nothin' new under the sun.
Any hope I just had died with that trailer. It is nothing like the plot of the book at all. They either leave important shit out completely or treat it with ridiculously heavy hands.
I like the books, I do. But the books are not as good as BR. The BR movie is a thousand times better and it had a sliver of the budget.
Battle Royale is set in the near future of a dystopian, militarised Japan. Every year there is one 9th grade class chosen at 'random', kidnapped under the pretext of a school trip, and forced into the Program.
The children (there are 40-something in the novel) are set loose in an isolated area (an island in this case), given a backpack with food, water and a random weapon. They all wear collars that can be remotely detenated. The collars also detonate if they're tampered with or if the wearer strays into a forbidden zone.
They force the kids to turn on each other by making it so that if there isn't at least one death in a 24 hour period all their collars will detonate. To force the survivours together the island is divided into zones and every few hours certain zones are designated forbidden, making the safe places fewer and fewer as time goes on.
There are guns ranging from machine guns to pistols, and other weapons ranging from poison to scythes. Obviously those with guns are at an advantage. The guns come with instructions, since most of the kids have no way of knowing how to use one.
The book is very complicated because obviously they're facing a) double the number of players as there are in HG and b) because they all know each other and there are close friendships and bad relationships and reputations that come into play.
BR uses the perspective of a large portion of the kids there. Most get at least 1 chapter, and some of the major characters get more.
If you enjoyed the Hunger Games I definitely recommend BR. Be forewarned that it is extremely graphic, on par with A Clockwork Orange. The Hunger Games is positively conservative in terms of the violence featured in the books.
So. Excited.
ReplyDeleteNovember 22!!
ReplyDeleteI'll be sneaking out a window so I catch it without the LOUD ONES in tow.
ReplyDeleteCan not wait!!!
ReplyDeleteCan you just hear the money rolling in?
ReplyDeleteWow! Love it!
ReplyDelete(I don't think I have posted any spoilers here for the first movie in case anyone reading hasn't seen it yet)
ReplyDeletePerhaps people who have read the books can explain this to me...
I was totally and utterly underwhelmed by the first movie. I felt like there was no character development or story amongst all the kids in the game after it started. All I got was Kat by herself forever, then suddenly it was over. I was like "Da Hell?!?!"
I really wanted to see or know some kind of actual sociological game play ala Survivor or Amazing Race. How did the various alliances form? Was Peta some sociological game playing genius? Kat does well, because she's a good hider? I just felt like so much viewpoint was missing in the film.
So was this in the book? Or is a large portion of the book Kat hiding alone with her thoughts? And the book doesn't explain anything going on with any other contestants either?
I was just all kinds of meh at the end.
@Xander- Yes, the book explains it all. I played a drinking game while I was watching the movie and had to drink every time something differed from the book. I was drunk as fuck before they even got to the arena, and didn't even remember the movie the next day. I had to rewatch it sober. The whole time I just kept thinking, "There's no way anyone who didn't read the book would get this. There's no way anyone who didn't read the book would get this."
DeleteThe book was good. The movie was not.
I cannot wait!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Xander. I felt the same way. I guess you have to read the book and I'm just now thinking about Game of Thrones so I don't know when the hell I'm gonna get this one read.
ReplyDeleteXander, agreed the first movie did seem to skip over the character development. I hope Catching Fire will do a better job. My husband hadn't read the books and felt the same way you did. The book was much better than the movie but here's hoping the following movies are more developed. The trailer looks great.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the books. I have read each of them three times through. I HAAAAAAATE the first movie. It was done absolutely horribly. The problem was that the director did her "vision" of the book instead of the actual story. I can't even watch it.
ReplyDeleteSo Xander, and whoever (whomever?) didn't read the book, you should. The book is written from Katniss' point of view, so you don't really see a lot of the others unless they are interacting with her. However, you still get the character development, and you get invested in them because of it.
I am actually excited about Catching Fire, because there is a new director. The preview seems amazing and like it is really telling the story of the book.
That is the issue sometimes with making books into movies. Yes, there was not enough character development in the movie and the book was pretty detailed in the flashbacks and experiences of the Katniss. The movie felt very rushed to me, but if it was longer people might have complained that it was too long. It also seemed to struggle with how to interpret the events from Katniss' point of view like the book does.
ReplyDeleteComes out on my son's birthday, he's excited. Although neither of us liked the movie much, thought it could have been much better.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books and got talked into seeing the movie which I ended up sort of enjoying. It was mindlessly entertaining, in my opinion. I heard some other people afterwards who were upset because so much differed from the book, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on any storyline. Then again, I really don't like to do much thinking when watching a movie. Or doing anything else, really ;)
ReplyDeleteThe first book didn't really lend itself to being a movie, because so much of it was an internal dialog. JLaw did a commendable job showing through her facial expressions much of what she was thinking, but without a lot of voiceovers, it was impossible to capture the gist of the first film.
ReplyDeleteThis may be an unpopular opinion, but I don't like this second trailer. It seems like they are playing "catch up" to set up the second Games' premise, and then not exactly explaining that there IS A SECOND GAMES! If you haven't read the books, you'd have no idea that 80% of the movie will take place in a second games.
I will watch catching Fire though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I msut gather up the courage to tell the Starbucks barista that my name is Primrose Everdeen, and then when they call out the name, get up and yell: I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!!!
*must
ReplyDelete^^^LOL at Maja. I'll buy your latte if you do that. . .
ReplyDeleteThis ^^^
Delete@ Xander - I felt the same way; I hadn't read the book.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned once in a post that I'd heard that the HG author had ripped off a very similar Japanese novel (Battle Royale) and someone here jumped up my ASS. I haven't read either authors but maybe someone here can weigh in.
@Mango It is a total rip-off of BR. Anyone who doesn't think so hasn't read/seen Battle Royale (btw, if you haven't read/seen Battle Royale, get to it asap). I'd still recommend reading The Hunger Games, though. It's pretty good. (Second & third books not recommended. Jmo)
Delete@Mango - Battle Royale movie is actually available on Netflix! (I have it in my instant que but haven't had time to watch yet)
ReplyDelete@Everyone else - Thanks! That makes a lot more sense now.
The author should have collaborated with the screenwriter more to explain what was happening then...
They could have translated it from inner Kat thoughts to onscreen action and character development much better that way.
I really wanted to know at least some names and character traits of all the kids. Then I might have actually cared is any of them died.
Take a lesson from J.K. Rowling's hands on guidance to the Harry Potter screenwriters, producers, and actors.
A movie is not a book and a book is not a movie. There need to be adjustments for each medium.
@Seachica - I think that is the whole point of the trailer, though. The games in the second book are a big reveal. The characters don't see it coming. I think this trailer is trying to lend to keeping that shock for people who haven't read the books.
ReplyDeleteThe author of Battle Royale admitted he borrowed from Stephen King's The Running Man and The Long Walk. And similar concepts have popped up in sci-fi before. Nothin' new under the sun.
ReplyDeleteAny hope I just had died with that trailer. It is nothing like the plot of the book at all. They either leave important shit out completely or treat it with ridiculously heavy hands.
ReplyDeleteI like the books, I do. But the books are not as good as BR. The BR movie is a thousand times better and it had a sliver of the budget.
@Mango
ReplyDeleteBattle Royale is set in the near future of a dystopian, militarised Japan. Every year there is one 9th grade class chosen at 'random', kidnapped under the pretext of a school trip, and forced into the Program.
The children (there are 40-something in the novel) are set loose in an isolated area (an island in this case), given a backpack with food, water and a random weapon. They all wear collars that can be remotely detenated. The collars also detonate if they're tampered with or if the wearer strays into a forbidden zone.
They force the kids to turn on each other by making it so that if there isn't at least one death in a 24 hour period all their collars will detonate. To force the survivours together the island is divided into zones and every few hours certain zones are designated forbidden, making the safe places fewer and fewer as time goes on.
There are guns ranging from machine guns to pistols, and other weapons ranging from poison to scythes. Obviously those with guns are at an advantage. The guns come with instructions, since most of the kids have no way of knowing how to use one.
The book is very complicated because obviously they're facing a) double the number of players as there are in HG and b) because they all know each other and there are close friendships and bad relationships and reputations that come into play.
BR uses the perspective of a large portion of the kids there. Most get at least 1 chapter, and some of the major characters get more.
If you enjoyed the Hunger Games I definitely recommend BR. Be forewarned that it is extremely graphic, on par with A Clockwork Orange. The Hunger Games is positively conservative in terms of the violence featured in the books.