The Hunger Games: The IMAX ExperienceMovie Reviews

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Written March 26, 2012
Great Movie - Awful in IMAX

by Kell108

This movie rocked it - great adaptation from the book. Enthralling and exciting.

BUT!!!!!

The IMAX version is AWFUL!! I've been to tons of IMAX movies without an issue, but this one made me so ILL I could hardly watch the whole movie!! All that pan and scan, in and out of focus, jerky camera movements = major motion sickness and headache.

Half the people in the theatre we holding their heads by the time The Reaping started, and many began to walk out to take a break by the Rue Death scene.

So sad.... really was looking forward to being in The Arena with the tributes, not the louge with the other sick movie-goers!!!
- 48 out of 80 found this review helpful.
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Written March 24, 2012
Hunger for this movie

by Darkola

This is one of the better movies I have seen in some time now, I've seen alot of hype for this movie, and as far as I'm concerned, its lived up to it. I'd advise paying attention to the beginning, the writing, to understand the era/situation in which they are in, why there are 12 districts, and why they elect one male, and one female to participate in what is called The Hunger Games .... where they fight to the death, until only one survives. The acting in this was very good for most the characters, and say Jennifer Lawrence did an excelent job playing her part. The story itself was a good story, I believe there was a book out, I never read it to compare how they followed it, but did like the story. The scenery in the movie was also very good. I'd give this 3 1/2 stars out of 4, the only real flaw I found with this movie was the lack of action in it. Save yourself some money and dont see it in imax, as I feel in this case it really didnt add anything to justify the price upgrade.
- 57 out of 103 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
The Hunger Games - Cinematic Excellence!

by Mid-Atlantic-Neal

I read all 3 books & looked forward to this screen adaptation, which turned out Superb. LOVED IT! Reading the book(s) 1st is not necessary, but will enrich your viewing experience by allowing you to recognize elements of the story that shape understanding the brutality of the oppressive government of Panem. Casting & performances were like Katniss hitting the bullseye with her arrow! Direction was on the mark as well, as Director teamed with author to write screenplay & delivered a vision of the movie & performances from the cast that were also on-target. The cinematography & costumes were brilliant in that they created the on-screen vision of what only exists in your mind if you've read the book. The on-screen violence is deftly handled so as not to be a slasher movie. If your kid will not be upset over kid-on-kid violence, they're ok to see it. Movie will appeal to all ages, M&F and is 1/3 of the story. The Tribute's fight to the death is not the point. There's much more to come!
- 57 out of 103 found this review helpful.
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Written March 25, 2012
True (mostly) to the book

by kbmagic

Really enjoyed this movie and was happy they kept it true to the book (for the most part). I'm looking forward to the sequels! The only thing that I didn't enjoy was the camera work. They tried to give the feeling of 'being there' by using hand-held cameras, however there were a few times on the big IMAX screen that made me dizzy and a little queasy.... I don't think the effect was worth that.

I think the acting was great and my husband and I were very entertained. It still is strange to me that such dark subject matter be considered 'for kids' however there were a lot of children around me in the audience and they seemed to enjoy it.

I recommend this movie, but I think people would enjoy it more if they read the book first, even though it's not a requirement. My husband did not read the book but enjoyed the movie.
- 33 out of 58 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written March 26, 2012
The Hunger Games

by ddssunnydays

DISAPPOINTING! Too many things were changed from the way they were written in the book. For the most part I felt the characters were miscast. The lead actress was too old for the part, and did not show the niavete of this character. Major things were left out in the development of some characters and some scenes were out of place.
- 41 out of 75 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
Worth staying up for the midnight show

by rantnnravin

Hunger Games (no spoilers):
Cinematography: Raw, frenetic - enhances the mood and surreal quality of things happening around Katniss
Story: excellent, but some ideas were not fully elaborated and lost their full impact if the viewer has not read the book
Sequencing: There were some issues affecting full understanding due to changes made in the order/way information is revealed -- according to my HG Trilogy Fanatic Daughter, there were also references made to things that happened in Catching Fire (Book 2)
Overall Changes: There were a few changes made to events/details in the story that HGTFD felt altered thematic understanding
Rating: It was a bit violent. I would not recommend it for children if they have not read the book.
- 51 out of 95 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
Awesome movie; ****** theatre

by Grikgod

I expected to like this movie and I did. They did a fantastic job adapting the book for the screen, and it came across pretty well. The movie was long, but did not feel stretched out, rather a bit more rushed if anything.
In any case, this is a good series for young people to obsess about, unlike the last thing they were obsessing about.

Now, the ****** theatre in Brandon that calls itself an "IMAX" theatre. Shame on you. You charged me a premium for the same size screen! There was nothing IMAX about that experience I can assure you of that.

Did I mention also that there was a group of annoying teenagers sitting behind me who felt the need to narrate the movie? I hate those people.
- 46 out of 86 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
Hunger Games is a Champion!

by

This movie went above and beyond all my expectations in the best possible way! The casting and the acting were both surprisingly fantastic. The cinematography was beautiful. And most importantly, it was true to the amazing book from which it was adapted. Two thumbs way up!!
- 10 out of 14 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
The Hunger Games

by cweyne

Everything they changed from book to movie only strengthened the story and in some cases gave more weight than the book did. The acting across the board was phenomenal and they did not lose any intensity in action or violence while hiding it well. The cinematography was the right style but overdone. I would have like to see a more emotional tug at certain points and some quicker pacing in the beginning. And I do not mean editing pacing, just a little more urgency in the directing. But the movie was great, the acting fantastic, and I still want to marry Jennifer Lawrence.
- 32 out of 58 found this review helpful.
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Written March 26, 2012
Nice Movie

by DJDaveJay

i took my 14 year old Daughter to this movie and we both thought it was a well made action movie. We would highly recommend it.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written March 23, 2012
Hungry for more

by Krash69

I know there are inevitably differences when books are made into movies but that doesn't mean it is unfair for readers of the book to use it as a litmus test. While the movie was an entertaining diversion, I think they could have done a better job with this adaptation. First, Peeta was miscast; not a huge deal but a contributing factor. Second, since the gifter of the pin was changed to Prim for the movie I guess that means. Third, it's very difficult to develop a connection to the characters with such poor character development. Kat's flashback to the mine explosion means nothing unless you read the book and even as someone who did I thought it was odd that the sequence wasn't shown in the very beginning to establish the context of her family life. I'm already tired of hearing the excuses about the difficulty of translating internal dialogue into movie action. That's their job. If it was easy then I would be working on screen plays right now.
- 48 out of 91 found this review helpful.
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Written March 25, 2012
Loved the books? See the movie!

by kathleenmenriquez

So much disappointment follows after reading a book and then seeing the movie, it never lives up to the book.......
NOT THIS TIME! This is just the 1st of 4 movie to follow. (One book will be broken up into 2movies) This was a wonderful movie with lots of action. There were a lot of tears flowing around me including my own. I won't ruin it for you by giving you details, just go see it!
Great for most ages although there is violence but they are fighting for an important principle.
I fall in the age 40's category so not just for the young! Loved it 8)
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written March 24, 2012
amazing!

by LFak39

I loved this movie. It stuck true to the book which has been somewhat of a problem with the Harry Potter movies. Jennifer Lawrence played the part beautifully and I felt her struggle throughout the movie. Stanley Tucci was my favorite!
- 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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Written March 24, 2012
Worth the wait!!

by ssixx

I used a vacation day to see this on Friday's release day at a matinee showing. Well worth it! I loved the books, and this movie stayed pretty true to the first book. Even if one hadn't read the books, this would be an enjoyable movie. For those who read the books, you have all the insight there just isn't time for in a movie.

Saw it in IMAX, so much up close action, might have been better on a regular screen or a few more rows back. Weren't many seats left when we got there though.

I thought the actors picked for this movie were superb! They couldn't have cast this any better.

I did hear a few parents gasp during the movie, seriously, if you didn't read the books, did you at least hear what the movie was about?? This isn't a children's movie. And if your young teen hasn't read the book, perhaps they should before seeing the movie. If they can't handle the book, then just skip the movie until they are a bit older.
- 18 out of 31 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written March 24, 2012
Hunger Games: Story is a bit hallow with out reading the book.

by Mytheral

Everything came too fast with just a few days in the Arena. Any hint of desperation was removed and any wound turned into a scratch. The thought of starvation or dehydration gone. Dialog between Peeta and Katniss is mostly removed and what's left is edited.
They left 75% of the crescendos but removed all of the building actions. What is left are action sequences, a few memories and an up scaled love triangle.
In it's defense I love the capital scenes, the got it right making it like Rome before the fall.
Judging it on it's own as a movie I'd call it hallow. Though enjoyable if you've read the books but I can't recommend seeing it on it's own.
- 26 out of 47 found this review helpful.
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