Official opinion: GO (aka 5/5 stars, wonderful, etc.)
I don’t want to sound like a rabid fangirl, but holy crap! Holy crap! This movie was epic. There was a moment where I nearly cried (two actually, one when Katniss volunteers and Primrose freaks out, and one other I won’t talk about for fear of spoilers).
Now, I admit I avoided the books. They were uber popular, and I wasn’t about to read another Twilight (even though I secretly liked the little birdy necklace people kept showing up with at class) or go read a book just because it was doing well at the moment. And honestly, I’m happy I watched the movie first. Why? Because I didn’t compare — and had nothing to compare to. I had no clue what was going to happen, and it made the movie that much more intense for me.
Of course, now I’m going to read the book and compare, but I have to say I doubt I’ll like it more than the movie. The acting was great, the stakes were incredibly high and only kept getting higher throughout the entire affair. I loved the wacky stylishness of the Capitol (and of course I loved Stanley Tucci as the announcer-person).
Then there’s the love triangle that forms. I admit I didn’t mind it this time — the reasons and situations that created it make total sense. Lord knows I’d be confused in her shoes. Both Gale and Peeta are great dudes, too, though I like Gale more (he seems meatier and more self-sufficient, but Peeta’s still pretty cool). No one freaking tell me who she ends up with or I will hurt you. Thanks.
There’s also the archery aspect. Love archery. Oh, and I liked that, while there was death in pretty gruesome ways, it wasn’t the focus. You see it but they don’t dwell on the gore. It’s all about survival, and that really shows through. It was refreshing.
I also liked that this movie had the capacity to fulfill two totally different types of people. Romantically-inclined and non-thinking-about-themes type peoples get everything they want: kickass action, romance that is definitely gripping (and with a dude who is a very solid and upstanding person, unlike other sparkly undead peoples), you get a love triangle, sparkly outfights, pizazz, etc. On the other hand, people who enjoy depth and theme get a ton of politically-related stuff. There was a lot I felt the author was (perhaps purposefully) saying about government and what was right. Dystopia at its best, really. It’s not as deep as, say, 1984, but it’s deep enough to satisfy that side (at least for me). People who are a little bit of both — like
me — should be very, very, very fulfilled by the end.
Writers should check out this movie to see what a successful, non-Twilight bestseller does. It’s not the most in-depth plot, it doesn’t take super-duper twists, but the turns it takes make sense, they’re satisfying and thrilling, and so on.
In other words: go freaking watch this movie. Tomorrow. Go!
