The Hunger Games (2012)

4/5

The Hunger Games is more of a phenomenon than a movie, based on the first of Suzanne Collins's trilogy of books that took the world by storm. I won't bore you with the movie's plot, because you've probably already figured it out from the seemingly endless tide of people around you who have already read the books and can't stop chattering about them. The series is essentially a love story between Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutcherson) with a little bit of action, violence, and political intrigue thrown in to spice it up. The story involves all three basic formulas for romance: 1) love triangle, 2) two people forced together by circumstance who fall in love, and 3) two people who love each other torn apart by circumstance. No wonder it's so successful.

As far as adaptations go, this one is fair. It takes no risks, aiming right in the middle of mediocrity to offend nobody, and indeed it fails at just about nothing. Unfortunately, it could have been really spectacular if helmed by a director with a vision. Instead, the director seems to harbor some sort of foolish fondness for over-editing and Shakicam shots, a term I coined myself to describe the silly trend of ignoring the revolutionary invention known as the Steadicam and going ultra-Bourne Supremacy on everything. The editing was by far the worst part about the movie, with Hemsworth's acting taking a close second. Not only is there split-second splicing of every action scene--making it impossible to tell what was going on--but the movie could have been cut to a more manageable 2 hours and have been just as satisfying, if not more so. As for the actor who played Gale, he was atrocious at line delivery. The only thing he did well was look down mopingly whenever Katniss and Peeta kissed, because apparently he has mastered that one skill set of neck flexion.

There are, however, some moving parts that carried over well from the book. One, my favorite, is Peeta's interview with Caesar (Tucci) and Katniss's subsequent reaction. Another is Katniss's first kill in the games, with an emotional tug that was cleverly flipped around from how it occurred in the book. The movie also added the character of Seneca Crane (Bentley), the Head Gamemaker, in a surprisingly intelligent way. Bentley, along with Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks, were absolutely fantastic in their roles and brought the characters to life. The movie itself is a must-see for anyone who's read the book. It's also a must-see for anyone who doesn't like being out of the loop, as this is the kind of movie that everybody will be talking about. If you don't care about any of those things, well, then you're probably not reading this review anyway. So go out and watch the movie; it's an entertaining ride and does its fair share to bring the book to life.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Precious (2009)

3/5

Lee Daniels's Precious is a movie so devastating that you do not want to suspend your disbelief. It is a movie that you want to ignore, that you want to tell yourself would never happen, could never happen. But I'm sure it does, and far more frequently than we would like to admit. The movie follows Precious (Sidibe), a 16-year-old girl who is nearly illiterate, who is verbally demeaned and physically abused at home by her mother (Mo'Nique), who is pregnant with her second child after being raped by her father, and who escapes it all through her vivid fairytale imagination. The difference between Precious and other girls in her situation is that she still hopes for a better future. And she will ferociously follow that hope no matter where it takes her, as long as it takes her out of where she is now. By a stroke of luck, she gets enrolled at an alternative school called Each One Teach One, where she learns to read and write under the guidance of a kind and loving teacher (Patton). She reveals her home life to a welfare worker (Carey), who calls in the mother for a meeting to discuss the abuse. But as the movie ends, most of her problems are not solved, and some new ones have only just begun.

While it's a powerful story, it is far from perfect. The movie's success, in my eyes, hinged on Precious's mother not being evil, but being human. If the mother comes off as being evil, then the situation doesn't seem real, and the strength that Precious has won't be real. The movie did attempt to humanize the mother, but it didn't feel like they explained her enough. Maybe that frustration, that lack of having everything explained satisfactorily, was exactly the intent. But the fact of the matter is that it left me wanting a deeper understanding of the characters. If I can't empathize with the people in this movie, then what was I supposed to get from it?

I could nitpick about obnoxious audience members or unconventional editing, but my main complaint with this movie is that it didn't make me believe in its world. As a whole, the movie has some assaulting images and heartbreaking moments. And the end leaves you with the bittersweet taste of hope mixed with despair mixed with anger. The movie succeeds in many regards, but unfortunately fails in the most necessary and important aspect. It was so, so close to making me believe, but didn't quite manage it. Maybe it will for you; if it does, Precious has the potential to split you in two.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/