Twelve for 2012 Part One: The Hunger Games


With the awards season done and dusted, it’s time for the way, way more exciting season of movies – I am, of course, talking about the blockbuster season! From now until about August, prepare for the best blockbuster season yet, with some seriously epic-looking movies coming out. So, with that in mind, over the next two weeks, I’ll be taking you through the blockbusters of 2012, with the twelve biggest movies of the year going under my metaphorical microscope. First up, it’s the one with the teenagers fighting. Part one, The Hunger Games!

THE GOOD STUFF

Well, the book that it’s adapting is really very good. With quality source material, and Suzanne Collins (the author of the book) on board to co-write the screenplay, at least the core story will be great.

It’s got an Oscar-nominated actress (Jennifer Lawrence) leading a high-quality cast of actors like Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, and Thor’s brother Liam Hemsworth. The acting talent is there.

The trailers are showing a nice balance of the emotional stuff and the 12A rated gore of the arena, so there won’t be overkill in either department.

It ain’t the next Twilight – at least, that’s what the reviews are saying. The reviews have been pretty positive, highlighting the acting talent of Lawrence and the supporting cast, and the skillful direction of Gary Ross.

Suzanne Collins created a really detailed world in the three books, and now there’s the chance to create Panem on the big screen, and from the trailers, it looks fantastic.

It isn’t Twilight. I know I’ve said this already, but thank God they haven’t Twi-fied it.

THE BAD STUFF

Uh… This should be hard. Okay, I’ve got one. Even if it’s not like Twilight, there’s a chance that Lionsgate have taken a leaf out of Twilight‘s book and added some Twilight-esque touches to it. I’m talking about angst, and crappy dialogue.

It’sn 142 minutes long. Any film that’s 142 minutes long will have at least a quarter of an hour where the plot just starts to plod. And that’s pretty much unavoidable. There was a stodgy section even in The Dark Knight. Let me repeat that: EVEN IN THE BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE OF ALL TIME.

The ending of the book is rather anticlimatic, and in a movie, you do not want a plot that just stops. Like The Hunger Games.

Will it be good? – Yes. The source material is excellent, the acting talent they’ve got on board is top-quality, and the action (if it’s anything like in the book) will be pulse-pounding. In English, that means ‘very exciting’.

How much money will it make? Lots. I’m guessing about $800 million, just a little bit behind Harry Potter.

Next time:  Tomorrow, Marvel Avengers Assemble will um… assemble under my microscope of doom.

Coming Up: As a one-off, I’ll tease the next eleven parts… Most will make loads of money. One is a pure indulgence for me. Two are animated. Also, I’m skipping Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. Ah, the power of writing this feature. It feels good.