I went to the midnight show and it was a pretty good movie, but if she wrote that in 2009 as my kids tell me, then she based it upon another, much earlier story.
They were nearly identical except for a couple of items that weren't even dreamed of back in the 60's or early 70's. The pics in the sky and the computer generated "beasts" were the only 2 differences I could see. I even remembered bits of the dialogue and plot twists.
Now if I could just remember the name of the story/book.
I was there. A lot of death for it being based on a "young adult" novel.
Hunger Games versus Battle Royale — fighting for originality
Quentin Tarantino said "Battle Royale" was his favorite movie of all time long before the "Hunger Games" was ever even thought of.
I would say it is a rip even if the author didn't realize it, but who cares.
To the Movies everyone!!! $15 stale popcorn awaits!!!
Not a fan of the genre. I saw Battle Royale back in the day (thanks for the name, I could not think of it) and don't need to see HG.
I think I'll add this to my list of movies that everyone but me needs to see. Right there with Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight and yes, even all but the first Star Wars.
I was wondering how many people who were excited for Hunger Games had even heard of Battle Royale. I doubt the former will be better than the latter.
Well, at least it's ripping off something a bit more obscure than that book series about the young farm kid being raised by his uncle that finds out he's the descendant of an ancient order of mystical nights and sets off with the last surviving member of that knighthood who trains him in their ways so that he can rescue a princess and join the rebellion to overthrow the evil emperor.
Yeah, that whole genre has been beaten to death. Gets a little tiring. But it's easier for Hollyweird to recycle old stuff than to (gasp) come up with something new. For instance, I read 'Flight of the Phoenix' by Elleston Trevor, great book. The movie with James Stewart was very close to the book, great job. The remake sucked, I wish I hadn't watched it.
The last books I read with a real new perspective were the Lisbeth Salander ones. Sure, the formula is old, but the heroine gave it a fresh new perspective. And now the copycats are popping up, a recent book review said that one's heroine made Salander look like a suburban housewife.
I probably won't see it but at least we're moving on from the whole vampire thing.
I'll be seeing in Sunday with te wife
We will go see it, because we enjoyed the books. I did in fact read through them all. Not bad, but I realized at the end that the main character never smiled, laughed, or did anything happy for the whole series. She had a lot to complain about, true, but still, it did get tiring by the end.
I haven't read the books, did attend my local midnight showing with the family. It comes off well if you haven't read the books, at least it did to me. The biggest laugh came in the previews, when they showed a short preview of "Breaking Dawn, pt 2". One kid yelled out "Evil never ends!" Which got a good laugh.
ehh....I was watching the local news this morning and saw interviews with the crowds from last night's midnight opening. In 2.5 solid minutes of tape I saw 3 guys, and one of those worked at the theater. The entire rest of the crowd was teenage girls and a few female authority figures.
OTOH, it's nice to see kids reading ( most I've heard from have read the book) and interested in a little science fiction.
It sounds like a rip off of Battle Royale based on what I read on Wikipedia and that movie sucked. I will skip that one.
I read the books, and thought they were great, despite the obvious aim at a younger demographic. I never read/watched Battle Royale, but now I think I will, so thanks for suggesting it. GOing to see HG this thurs with a group of friends.
I thought it was a remake of The Running Man.
I went last night at midnight as well. My girlfriend was GEEKED! It was worth watching, but not worth watching at midnight. I'm tired.
Brad took this picture for me at the ticket counter last night
I read the books. As sci-fi goes, they're pretty damned good. The story has been tweaked in various ways at various points of time but it's still a highly enjoyable series. Who said that there are really on 4 or 5 original stories that are constantly reworked?
I recommend the series for just about anyone. Now, kids? Whoa. I have my reservations as it's pretty bleak and violent. Then again, I read Heinlein at a young age. I'm sure you could argue Friday, Time Enough For Love, etc were plenty subversive for a young adolescent to read. Starship Troopers is a blood fest.
I've got tickets to go see the movie on Sunday with the wife. We'll enjoy it I'm sure.
The only good part is this has FINALLY pushed a real release of the BR movie in the US. My dvd came from Hong Kong. I can't wait to watch BR with English dubs.
Sounds similar to The Condemned as well?
I didn't think of The Running Man last night as a forebear. I kept thinking Heinlein and Tunnels in the Sky, myself. If nothing else the two kids in the leads pull it off well. Stanley Tucci goes from Dr Erskine to Ceasar Flickerman? Awesome range there.
I haven't read the books, but my 11-year-old son has, so I took him last night at midnight (no school today, some teacher in-service thing). He loved it, proclaimed it "the best movie he's ever seen." And I gotta say, I was pretty impressed, too. Jennifer Lawrence was very good, the story was highly compelling, I liked the social/political undertone to the whole thing. I'm not normally a fan of the "kids in jeopardy" thing as a parent, but it was handled pretty tastefully here, and shown as an example of how brutal the government is in this future society.
As far as it being ripped off from earlier material, whatever. There are very few new ideas these days. As long as it's well done, I don't much care.
I was in a theater full of teens, too, and heard a smattering of "boos" for the "Twilight" preview as well. That made me laugh.
Tom_Spangler wrote: I was in a theater full of teens, too, and heard a smattering of "boos" for the "Twilight" preview as well. That made me laugh.
I am glad to hear there is hope for the youth or our country!
Never heard of Battle Royale and that's not the story I was referring to. I'm going to have to drag down my books from the 60's and find it. I'm not talking lightly based upon, I'm talking almost word for word.
I'm not concerned that the story is too anything for the kids, I was reading much worse and gorier when I was a kid. The world is a too PC place nowadays and in a post apocalyptic world the present day kid would have trouble surviving.
From the books I read I realized I needed a copy of "Gray's Anatomy" in my library so I could be prepared for the coming war so I asked for and got a copy for Christmas one year.
On second thought . . . .
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