10 Truly Terrible Movies That Fanboys Insist Are Awesome
3. The Hunger Games
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This is another case where Im one of the five people on the planet who hasnt read the books, and Im told theyre engrossing and chock full of biting social satire. That must be the case, but it sure didnt translate to the screen, as this adaptation of The Hunger Games is a murkily plotted, horribly directed mess high on absurdity and low on thrills. I had high hopes for the movie based on its enthusiastic reviews, but it ended up being the virtually nonsensical PG-13 Battle Royale I was dreading after the uninspiring first trailer. Dont get me wrong: I love Jennifer Lawrence, and from what I can tell she seems to be an excellent Katniss. Many others in the ensemble appeared to be apt choices for their roles as well, especially Lenny Kravitz and a pretty hilarious Stanley Tucci. For anybody who has read the books, this is probably a serviceable cinematic rendering of its events. But for those of us who havent, it makes little sense and even gets plain goofy at times (the rock disguise? the wasps? the CGI attack dogs?!). More crucially, director and co-writer Gary Ross completely fails to set up the stakes and rules of this world adequately, to the point where it feels like its only intended for those who are already familiar with this world. That leaves non-converts with insufficient context for story events, woefully incoherent action scenes, an unclear romantic subplot, and toothless satire (look at those silly rich people in gaudy wigs and makeup!). I lay a lot of the blame for this at Gary Ross feet, and Ill go into Catching Fire with the hope that Francis Lawrence provides satisfying action sequences and lucid storytelling.