h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I watched the first film 'Hunger Games' just a few days ago. I was horrified by it. The film itself was averagely OK (I am a stern critic when furry creatures aren't involved) but the concept turned my stomach, young children being forced to fight to the death, watched by a dissolute society that enjoyed seeing them die horribly? Even Rome used full grown adults, the fuller the growth the more fun the fighting.

OK, perhaps it could happen, but would the majority of the population ever buy into it, without any protest as happens in this movie? We get a token skirmish with the police during a broadcast but that's a bit boring let's get back to the real violence.

If I ever found myself in a world like that I would not hesitate to push the big red button. I transmitted my views to my friends on social media sites. They laughed at me. Am I missing something?

I went off and did the research and found that this was a trilogy and in the end.... well I won't spoil it.

However I will say that I have never felt so angry at the end of a movie before. I hated it.

That's all.

You are not the only one Pebs, it is a relief to know I am not on my tod

Yeah, well, you know how it turns out (I don't, yet, but...).

My main problem with the first film is kind of what you refer to - it's a horrible, horrible world - still depressingly plausible, if you ask me - but the film shied away from the nastiness and intensity of it in order to maximise the bottom line. I suppose 'compromised artistic vision' is the concise way of putting it.

On the other hand, you're complaining it was too nasty, I'm complaining it wasn't nasty enough, so do we agree or not? I don't know.

Hi folks! Well, I did not much like the first movie either, for the sort of reasons mentioned here. I think humanity is generally far too decent ... I am not cynical. I even think we're getting better and I think 30 years from now the folks on re-viewing these movies will consider us to have been very crude to even think such a scenario might be remotely likely. But anyways I do think we might in a piece of fiction be examining the plausibility of something like this and all the issues involved, so I will be interested in watching the second movie.

Awix, I actually had no problem with the nastiness of the film, it was the concept that I hated. I have watched many films far more gory, and nasty, with much needless violence and cruelty.

Most of it happens to individuals or groups as a result of moral failings etc within other individuals or groups.

What especially struck me with this story (and I do understand that at least some of my concern is dealt with in the two subsequent books)is that an entire planet appears to have no problem with the underlying concept of 'The Hunger Games' not even the parents of the children involved, aside from a natural parental concern that their children may be harmed, the 'idea' of the Game doesn't seem to bother them.

However, I would like people to note that whilst this film angered me for the reasons stated, I have not nor will not ever be found demonstrating outside a theatre demanding it be banned.

'Down with this sort of thing... careful now...'

Well, as you know, the other two books do reveal that a lot of people do indeed have objections to the existing system - although to what extent they have a problem with the games specifically isn't explored, the rest of the regime is quite nasty enough.

I think people tend to automatically accept the norms of the culture around them - people from our society would (hopefully) find the idea of the hunger games appalling, but the inhabitants of the film aren't from our culture, so their ethical standards may be different (the films at least nicely fudge the issue of what the differences may be). The culture of the capital is obviously informed by that of ancient Rome in many ways (not just the games, but in terms of imagery (chariot parades) and names - Seneca, Coriolanus, Plutarch, Caesar) and this is probably meant to tip us off to the fact that the people there don't conform to our standards. The Romans thought brutality was good for the character, after all.

The games themselves are presented as an exercise in political control, divide and rule: the different districts are set against one another rather than against the controlling regime (Stalin used a similar system). The specifics of the system are a bit Hollywood but I don't find the concept of a large population being too cowed and divided to unite against a brutal totalitarian regime hard to swallow - there are enough examples in history, after all.

Your points are valid and I do accept them. It makes me wonder why I reacted so angrily when I watched the film. I get angry when I watch something like 'Grapes of Wrath' or 'All Quiet on the Western Front' but it's not the film I am angry at.

Perhaps it is a combination of my dislike of TV reality 'games' like 'Get me Outa Here I'm Beginning to Aquire a Taste for Weasel Dung' and, rather sadly, a contempt for large sections of the planet's population that this film captured together that pressed my button.

My anger, which has diminished without the need for brain care intervention, possibly says more about me than the film.

That's why I am lousy at reviewing stuff I guess.

By the way, as I have your attention, can I say how much I enjoy your film reviews? Yes I can say that. So I have.

I'm a Hunger Games fan (please form an orderly queue and buy your stones from the nice man over there).

Lots to be said on the negatives, but took the kids and the wife to see this last week and a comment my daughter made to her mum ( she of the psychologists brain) I think summed the whole point up..Prez Snow threatening Katniss...

" Thats probably what Hitler felt like when Jesse Owens won all those medals?"

I will now leave by the back door before the pitchforks and torches arrive....

No need to panic freewayriding. I am an Al Jolson fan. People in glass trousers never throw stones, I think I've got that right?

Thanks very much for the kind words, they are always appreciated.

I hope I didn't come across as too negative about this film, as I didn't mean to! There's a lot to praise about it, which is probably why the negative aspects were so annoying.

Review wasn't negative at all Awix, very balanced as always!

(Would this be a good point to plug the complete archive of my reviews, including dozens never published in the Post...? Hmmm...)

(Absolutely.)

"I have been slowly reading through the archived reviews and I highly recommend them" {not the real Mark Kermode}

"Little vignettes of delightful, insightful, wit" {the late Noel Coward, obviously very late}

Dr Kermode still hasn't forgiven me for our public squabble over which is the best Planet of the Apes film (or wouldn't have, if he actually remembered us having it).

Anyway: http://aw1x.wordpress.com/the-vault/

All complaints to Dmitri, of course...

My problem with the film was that this sort of dystopia has been explored many times in the past, so everything became predictable, with one inevitable plot twist following another.

Having said that though, it was well-enough acted and paced to make it watchable.

Yeah, I suspect the bulk of the target audience would be kidlets who aren't familiar with the history of the genre.