THE HUNGER GAMES

RYAN: Fans of the world can exhale; it’s finally here! I’ll never forget the excitement seeing Harry Potter on the big screen for the first time – all the characters, settings and scenes played out to such great effect was just phenomenal.

CAROLINE: Don’t start getting misty on me here. But yes, the fans of these books are almost as rabid. I am certainly looking forward to seeing this one as well but missed the press screening. How was it?

RYAN: Ruthless! I mean, the story is just so intense, as it was even while reading the book, but now seeing it all play out is just crazy.

CAROLINE: Yeah it’s a good story.

RYAN: The look is impeccable. The costumes, hair and make-up, especially in the Capitol, are outstanding, like, award-worthy. The people look like the townsfolk in the Emerald City but in multi-colors instead of all green.

CAROLINE: Yeah you can see with Elizabeth Banks they really went all out in design.

RYAN: And that design is all such a rich contrast to the beginning of the film that actually looks like a holocaust movie. It takes quite the turn from there to the slick, modern, sci-fi world that follows. The scenic design is equally fantastic.

CAROLINE: How’s the cast?

RYAN: Perfect. There really wasn’t anyone hitting an off note. Jennifer Lawrence – I actually liked her much more in this than her Oscar nominated performance in Winter’s Bone.

CAROLINE: Oh we both hated that movie!

RYAN: She’s pretty and has the perfect amount of spunk for Katniss. I love Josh Hutcherson. I remember interviewing him a couple years ago – he seems very cool and he’s great in this. They all are… Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz.

CAROLINE: How is Lenny? He plays the guy who gives her a makeover, right?

RYAN: Yeah and it’s strange because I thought he was a gay character in the book but Lenny doesn’t give any hint of that in the film. He’s terrific though.

CAROLINE: It’s a stacked cast. How does it compare to the book for you?

RYAN: There are quite a few things that had to be cut out for time and it’s still a two and a half hour film, mind you. But for everything that was cut, there were things I was looking forward to seeing that were there. And most of it looks very much how I imagined it, so that pleases me.

CAROLINE: It’s amazing how this is really the NBT, next big thing.

RYAN: It really is. As a movie, it’s so so so much better than the Twilights; better makeup, story, acting. It’s almost in the quality vein as Harry Potter but I’m still a lil irritated that people compare the stories. There’s no magic here. Hunger Games is sci fi to Harry‘s fantasy.

CAROLINE: That is a true statement, but they’re all kind of universally loved by all ages at this point, so perhaps that’s the common denominator.

RYAN: The themes in this are so interesting and reflective of society, like commentary on reality TV and how far it goes, the disproportionate distribution of wealth, family, relationships, loyalty… it’s a doozie on many levels.

CAROLINE: That’s why it speaks to so many people and the book is such an easy read.

RYAN: I didn’t love the ending though, which is surprising since it’s the opposite of why I didn’t like the ending in the book. It’s a little different and a better ending than the book; but maybe I just didn’t like it because it’s different.

CAROLINE: That’s interesting. They wouldn’t have gotten away with that in a Harry Potter.

RYAN: This adaptation is waymazing. It’s a necessarily long film but I already feel like I could sit through it again. Overall, don’t shoot me, but I liked it better than the book and I’m ready for the sequel.

— RATING —