Okay. Negatives first.
First, from the start and all the way to the end, the cinematography is bound up in itself and fighting itself every step of the way. Zoom ins that are too close and ceaseless shaky handcamera work press a sense of urgency and tension in countless scenes that were obviously not in any way designed to be urgent or tense. The action scenes being filmed this way is one thing, but usage of such techniques in establishing shots and expository scenes is utterly indefensible.
Second, this film revolves around dehumanizing murder, of children and by children, and as such would have been served abundantly better with an R rating. The deliberate shy away from raw depictions of violence is unmistakable. That said, nothing in the action sequences ever feels fake or phoned in, and considering the lack of gore and money shots, that is a great feat in and of itself.
Third, the visual design of the mutant dog things in act 3 is a blatant rip off of the Mabari hounds from Dragon Age, seen here: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/setonian/files/2011/02/Mabari-War-Dog-character.jpg But I don't mind, because I got to mention Mabari hounds.
Good things: Everything else. Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci in particular do a great job of personifying the massive divide between the downtrodden district dwellers and the impossibly rich and self-absorbed asscrabs in the gleaming capitol. The costume design is beautifully surreal in this regard as well. The story is well structured everywhere that matters, never leaving me feeling confused or disinterested. I can't think of any scenes that served no purpose, despite this being a movie adapted from its book by its book's own author. But most of all I have to commend Jennifer Lawrence. Entire scenes relied on her acting alone to inform the audience of the emotional tone and impact of the events onscreen, and she performed excellently.
All in all, I loved this movie. The camerawork may well give you a headache, so plan for that, but this is absolutely one to see.
ESPECIALLY if you haven't read it yet.
First, from the start and all the way to the end, the cinematography is bound up in itself and fighting itself every step of the way. Zoom ins that are too close and ceaseless shaky handcamera work press a sense of urgency and tension in countless scenes that were obviously not in any way designed to be urgent or tense. The action scenes being filmed this way is one thing, but usage of such techniques in establishing shots and expository scenes is utterly indefensible.
Second, this film revolves around dehumanizing murder, of children and by children, and as such would have been served abundantly better with an R rating. The deliberate shy away from raw depictions of violence is unmistakable. That said, nothing in the action sequences ever feels fake or phoned in, and considering the lack of gore and money shots, that is a great feat in and of itself.
Third, the visual design of the mutant dog things in act 3 is a blatant rip off of the Mabari hounds from Dragon Age, seen here: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/setonian/files/2011/02/Mabari-War-Dog-character.jpg But I don't mind, because I got to mention Mabari hounds.
Good things: Everything else. Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci in particular do a great job of personifying the massive divide between the downtrodden district dwellers and the impossibly rich and self-absorbed asscrabs in the gleaming capitol. The costume design is beautifully surreal in this regard as well. The story is well structured everywhere that matters, never leaving me feeling confused or disinterested. I can't think of any scenes that served no purpose, despite this being a movie adapted from its book by its book's own author. But most of all I have to commend Jennifer Lawrence. Entire scenes relied on her acting alone to inform the audience of the emotional tone and impact of the events onscreen, and she performed excellently.
All in all, I loved this movie. The camerawork may well give you a headache, so plan for that, but this is absolutely one to see.
ESPECIALLY if you haven't read it yet.
