I Hunger for Something More: A Hunger Games movie review

If there is one thing I cannot stand is going to a movie and not being able to be drawn into the story emotionally. I mean what is the point really?  I sat in a theater for over two hours watching a story about children killing each other and literally could care less. After reading the books I was looking forward to the story of The Hunger Games to be retold on the big screen.

To literally see the dehumanization of these children, the seeds of rebellion sowing, and the repercussions of these events. Yes, we've seen the like before in movies like Battle Royal, but I wanted to see a movie that showcased the psychological and emotional effects that placing children in a kill or be killed scenario. This movie was, in that instance a total let down.

If there is one thing I can't stand is a movie that fails to capture my emotions. I want to be on the edge of my seat rooting for the characters or swearing underneath my breath at those that I can't stand.  I honestly couldn't care less about Katniss and Peeta throughout the entire film. It never emphasized the fact that Katniss' mother was rendered useless after the death of her husband.

It never touched upon the utter hatred that Gale had for The Capitol. Did anyone ever wonder why Haymitch was a complete drunk? And it seems like Katniss is impervious to the fact that she killed not one but two of her peers without a single shred of emotion but seems to find her heart when Rue dies. The relationship with Peeta was hardly a relationship at all as you could never truly believe if Katniss was acing out the part or if she truly had feelings for him.

These are the things that get lost in translation when you go from words on a page to acting on screen. If anything the fact the there was little to no violence in a movie that was based on a fight to the death just really ticks me off. Granted this book series and the movie was aimed towards the age group that it was written for, which as it stands is the majority of its fan base.

I was older than 3/4's of the people at that midnight premiere. It seemed like the movie was catered to an audience in which it would make the most money. Which leaves some of us filmgoers, myself included, cheated out of a movie that could have been way better than it was.

I would have loved if this was an R rated film in which it showcased the harsh brutality of the games and showcased more of the real life effect it had on its participants. But I didn't get hat I wanted. Instead I got a version of Twilight that was slightly less pathetic and had way better acting. But anything could out act Kirsten Stewart...even Keanu Reeves.