By now, you've probably seen the Hunger Games trailer, right? No? Here:
Allow me to sum up my initial reaction: "ASDK;AKDFAJSDF;KANSDFJA;DFJA;KLFJAS;DFJA;AJKA;SKDJFA!"
One always worries about screen adaptations of beloved novels, but I'm no longer worried about this one. It looks awesome.
When I first read the book, I had grave concerns about its adaptability. Collins's depictions of violence are both brutal and alarmingly specific. Hollywood could never show the full effect without alienating 3/4 of its target audience.
Based on the trailer, at any rate, the film seems to take an angle that perhaps requires less focus on the brutality. The trailer jumps between the dystopian Panem and the spectacle of the games. There's every possibility that the movie will do a better job of hammering the book's political themes.
But enough with the thinking. Let's get down to brass tacks.
Beloved Katniss. I don't think you could conjure up better casting in a laboratory. "Straight black hair, olive skin, we even have the same gray eyes. But we’re not related, at least not closely. Most of the families who work the mines resemble one another this way." So she doesn't quite have gray eyes or black hair. I'll live.
Liam Hemsworth is about 20 times hotter than I pictured Gale (but I'm on record as a Gale-hater. That said, the sort of character he plays tends to work much better in films than in books). I'm worried that his extreme good looks will disrupt the Peeta vs. Gale equation in my mind.
And speaking of beloved Peeta...I wasn't sold on Josh Hutcherson's casting originally, but now he seems to have the right amount of quiet intensity.
Whoever cast Elizabeth Banks as Effie deserves an award. Just look at that shot. In the drab greys and blacks of this horrible mining town, she's not a sight for sore eyes, she's an invasion of neon color. The falseness of her identity jars against the gritty reality of District 12. Which is just how it should be.
I had to find something to complain about, right? I won't lie, despite my near total lack of interest in fashion, I was very interested in how the movie would bring Katniss's interview dress to life.
The description in the book:
"The creature standing before me in the full-length mirror has come from another world. Where skin shimmers and eyes flash and apparently they make their clothes from jewels. Because my dress, oh, my dress is entirely covered in reflective precious gems, red and yellow and white with bits of blue that accent the tips of the flame design. The slightest movement gives the impression I am engulfed in tongues of fire."
The costume designer's response? "Meh, fuck it."
Sartorial mishaps nothwithstanding, I couldn't be more excited to see the film. Let me know your thoughts!
I am so excited too! The trailer looks amazing, I think it's going to be a brilliant adaptation.
ReplyDeleteI really can't wait...I may have to re-read the books again, even though i just read them like 5 months ago.
ReplyDeleteDon't mind me, I'm just here to disagree with you! ;) Just kidding... mostly.
ReplyDeleteI am not one of those people who fervently loved The Hunger Games trilogy, but that said, I am totally open to seeing it when it opens because while I had a lot of gripes with the books, the general plot and storylines weren't one of them. So I guess you can take everything I say with a grain of salt since I was on neither Team Peta nor Team Gale (or even Team Katniss really...), but I actually thought the casting of Peta & Gale was spot one. Liam isn't exactly how I envisioned Gale, but it's close enough, and the dude playing Peta is pretty much just like how I saw him in my head... But Katniss. I don't know. I don't think JL really looks like how I thought Katniss would, though it's not egregious... in the stills at least! Whenever she is actually speaking however, I don't buy anything she's saying and just feel like I'm looking at JL with a dye job. I hope the actual film will change my mind... I guess I just can't strike the impression she made on me in Winter's Bone. (Also I might still be disgruntled that Hailee Steinfeld didn't get cast, because she is actually almost exactly how I pictured Katniss.)
AGREED regarding katniss's dress at the end. however, i am not a gale-hater as you are... although admittedly i'm yet to read books 2 and 3!
ReplyDeleteI thought the trailer did a very good job of setting up the movie. The selection scene was moving, and it was only a trailer. Having the trailer end with the countdown to the start of the games and the kids all running really gets people to want to see what happens next.
ReplyDeleteMy one complaint is that I still can't see Hutcherson as Peeta. The character is supposed to be this big, beefy kid who can keep up with the Tributes from the warrior districts, not someone smaller than Katniss. My guess is that they are going to change the story to make Katniss less dependent on Peeta and him more dependent on her, even though the book did a good job of balancing them out, with each of them helping the other.
Lol I love disagreement!
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by how polarizing this series is. I think that's partly what makes it so compelling for those of us who DO fervently love it. I actually can't strike Winter's Bone from my head either, but even when I read the book, a lot of it actually reminded me of Winter's Bone. So when they announced the casting, I thought it was perfect.
Fair enough! We'll discuss this later. At the rate you're reading...tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble with Hutcherson as Peeta, but I know he's a good actor, so I hope that'll make up for it. He does NOT look like a warrior.
ReplyDeleteAll I know about the films is what my friend has told me about the books. She has really tried to get me to read them, but I am so backlogged in my library not sure when I would be able to get to it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting concept.
I'd really recommend the books. It looks like the movie will have a slightly different feel, so I don't think that reading will spoil enjoyment of the film.
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