Film Review: The Hunger Games (2012)

"Welcome, and happy Hunger Games"

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopic world in the nation of Panem. The country is split into 12 districts, where people live in poverty and the capitol where the people live  a life of modern luxury. Every year the Hunger Games are held, partially to entertain the Capitol but also to punish the districts for past rebellions, and a male and female from each of the districts is chosen at random to compete to the death until there is only one left standing. When Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is chosen her older sister Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her place. She is joined by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) who has also been selected.

I was skeptical about this film at first as I'd read an interview with the author of the books stating that she hadn't ripped off the concept of Battle Royale. I still strongly disagree that she'd never heard of the Battle Royale films and think that this is basically those films for the Twilight generation.

However, I did enjoy the film. The concept of the future society is fantastic and the costumes and locations, especially those in the Capitol are amazingly creative and modern. The characters of Katniss and Peeta are likeable and played well. I found both characters to be quite realistic for such a big film. However, I didn't like the fact that we barely found out the names of the other tributes, let alone and information about the other districts or their stories. I assume there is more detail in the book or more information is to follow in the next films. Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) are also worth a mention and hopefully will be present in the next films.

Overall, I did like the film and it was a lot better than I expected. However, I did feel that it was a poor man's Battle Royale that caters more to a Westernised audience. I would recommend watching it and will be watching the rest of the trilogy as and when.

Rating: 8/10

Film Review: The Cement Garden (1993)

"Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, because it's OK to be a boy, but for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think that being a girl is degrading. But secretly you'd love to know what it's like, wouldn't you? What it feels like for a girl?" 

The Cement Garden is based on the book of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film, directed by Andrew Birkin, focuses on the disintegration of a family after the sudden death of their father. Shortly after his death, their mother becomes seriously ill, eventually leading to her passing. The oldest children, Jack (Andrew Robertson) and Julie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) decide to hide the body so that they can have free run of the house, preventing them from being taken into care. After a time with no adult guidance the children's behaviour changes dramatically, including incest, cross dressing and withdrawal. 

I really enjoyed the film. It was a slow and steady film that allows you to get to know the main characters well. The build up is great; it's intense and captivating. Even though Jack and Julie are siblings, you bizarrely want them to get together; it's like they were almost meant to be together. 

The location is really fitting to the new found freedom of the children. The house is semi-isolated and the landscape gives a baron feel. The casting is very believable and they all play their roles very well considering the ages of the actors.

The film is really worth watching and I was captivated throughout. 

Rating: 8/10

Film Review: Mega Shark Vs Crocasaurus (2010)

Mega Shark Vs Crocasaurus is another of those wonderful made-for-dvd movies frequently shown on the SyFy channel. The film sees some miners in the Congo accidentally unleash the Croc, which subsequently goes on a rampage! Meanwhile Mega Shark has also re-awoken to snack on the Corcasaurus' giant eggs. An unlikely trio of Dr Terry McCormick (Jaleel White), Agent Hutchinson (Sarah Lieving) and Nigel Putnam (Gary Stretch) go in search of the beasts in order to destroy them.

There's plenty of shark and croc antics, with the pair both causing mass destruction. The main trio of characters are a great mix. I love Sarah Lieving! She's great as the hard faced Agent and a good role model for women. It's a really fun film and really keeps your attention even though it is really predictable, but that's half the fun. 

My only criticism of the film was that I didn't think there was a lot of shark vs croc, more just them causing damage separately; maybe they should have teamed up rather than go on solo missions! Then again, maybe that's the next film.

Definitely worth watching! I'd also recommend reading the 'Goofs' section on the film's IMDb page for some giggles too!

Rating: 8/10