I wrote an entire long comment about why grace isn’t interested in actually editing reviews so she doesn’t make herself sound like she’s saying that the hunger games actually happened. Then I realised that she’s as interested in reading the comments of those who read books as she is in reading books themselves.
I agree! She openly admits she doesn’t read books. She definitely should read more books other than comics and articles with brain dead takes like that. ‘Critiques’ saying that it’s too close too real life when the whole point of the series is showing focus on what can happen when government takes full control is the whole point of this franchise. But she definitely could care less about that
I think she meant it in the lines of feeling more uncomfortable watching knowing whats going on in the world even if its a commentary. I did feel the same way tbh even though i enjoyed the movie.
Your view on Sejanus is almost exactly how Corio sees him in the book haha. A walking liability and he doesn’t consider him a friend. He only begins to like him once he becomes a peacekeeper and needs his company
To your point Grace, I’d like to add that the author Suzanne Colins, has stated that the book is a one-off, and at least from a fan seems way more authentic and genuine than just a money grab like the fantastic beats series feels. It’s cool to see a franchise at this level have a spin off, and not it dragging out, clearly just trying to be a blockbuster
I really love Suzanne Collins as an author. Even when the original trilogy came out, she really wasn’t one for all the fame and celebrity stuff. She rarely does interviews and just quietly monitors the films to make sure she can help wherever she can. She could’ve easily made BANK if she came back with a book about Haymitch, Johanna, Finnick or something but she honestly went for something risky, and less popular. She clearly had passion for the story.
The book is fantastic, I can't wait to watch the movie....I've seen a lot of people talking about how Snow has always been horrible and how we shouldn't be fooled into having compassion for him...but if you read the book and pay attention, you can see that this book is about how trauma can be exploited by those that hold some influence over us and how they can manipulate it to turn you into something that you weren't in the first place. Snow had so much trauma from when he was little, no only war trauma, but also his mother dying, his father never showing him love and then having carry the weight placed on him by his grandmother to keep the Snow name in good standing. He ended up being the product of grooming from an evil professor that saw a way to exploit his brilliance for the bad. We always walk the line between good and evil, and he was swayed to the evil and sadly never looked bad.
@@cyclonechaosyou do realise that the idea of a “battle royale” isn’t unique to that movie. Acting like it created the concept. The idea of it stems from the gladiatorial fights in Ancient Rome which Suzanne Collins got a lot of her inspiration from, and mixed it with futuristic technology and our need to entertainment and overconsumption of reality TV. There are very few parallels you can find between the Hunger Games and Battle royale.
I was most worried about how they'd capture Sejanus's story in the film because so much of it is based on things that are difficult to portray on screen. I really loved him in the book so I'm sad to hear that plot doesn't land in the movie, but I'm still excited! In the book it's very clear that Sejanus is a gentle, inherently kind person who isn't built to survive in a cruel or fascist society and that he's breaking under the weight of it. He has nothing to live for and Snow becomes his only friend, but then from Snow's perspective we see that he is mostly disgusted by Sejanus and feels pity for him. It doesn't help that Sejanus is struggling with being part of a class traitor family and having to essentially participate in a mass murder.
Yeah, it's funny the graces view of him is similar to how snow Hates him in his own head lol. He's a great and important character but I understand it's hard to adapt
They didn't really capture his gentle side and how actually heartbroken he was, it was all one note. Angrily making snarking comments or throwing chairs. Even in the arena, which should be a breaking point, he didn't change.
@@aliciabergman1252Interesting, I definitely picked up that he was supposed to be a gentle kind soul and I really liked him. My partner though, she saw him as just a naive rich guy. I think it's really just a matter of perspective and the gaps you fill in for the character that the movie didn't have time to fill in for you.
I agree! Overall i rated this movie when i walked out a 92%. I was actually excited to visit this world again and it was so interesting at how they made it more of the times, 10th annual. I actually wanna watch the originals now! Rachel did seem like a theater student at the beginnning for me but then she grew on me. Her voice i thought sounded amazing and she commanded my attention, as well as my theaters. They all sat and stared and nobody giggled like i thought would've happened with a song. I DID however, towards the end, start getting over the songs back to back to back on top of each other it dragged for about 10 minutes for me but that last hour i was like, wait, where are we going to go now?! But i enjoyed most (minus maybe 10 mins) of that last hour. I was very surprised. Peter Dinklage was absolutely HORRIBLE in this role! Viola Davis was SO fun to watch and just amazing in every scene. She pulls you in here, and if they do another, i would like to see her for the sequel! The lead, whose name i missed, is GREAT! I'm definitely a fan. Now i need to learn his name and remember it. Lol.
What I love most about these reviews: there is a balance of objective empathy given to the story and characters, us (the audience) and to the business but most of all to Grace's own feelings about what she's seen & it's context in the world
@@deeonbrownwell she give shit movies good ratings, bc it has a female lead in it. The marvels was a bad movie, bad writing, bad cgi. And she still praised the movie…. She doesn’t really criticize movies without emotional point of view.
I have to disagree about the choice of her being from the south. I haven’t seen the movie, but I am from Appalachia. There is a difference between the south and Appalachia. When THG came out, everyone I knew was so excited to finally get rep. In the books, 12 is distinctly set in Appalachia. The coal industry has really shaped this region. Having an action series showcasing how we talk, our music and culture makes us feel very seen when we rarely are in media without stereotypes. I’m very excited to see how they interpret it, and from what I can tell, they’ve done so very respectfully.
Sejanus is a character that continually put Corio in danger and brought him into trouble. Corio can barely stand him in the books and essentially uses both Sejanus and Sejanus’ family for wealth and to help him gain power. It’s tough because Sejanus’ character is actually morally good but he makes stupid and rash decisions.
I’m a little more than half-way through the book now and I’m starting to get really excited for the movie. And, up until a week or so ago, I wasn’t really looking forward to it all that much. On a side note, being in his head the whole time makes it pretty easy to see where the bread crumbs toward his villainous turn begin to formulate fairly early on. It’s almost too obvious, so I’m glad to hear the film doesn’t seem to make it so evident. He’s pretty insufferable in the novel, but I’m still enjoying it.
If it’s not obvious why Snow is Sejanus’s “friend” in the film, then they didn’t do (or snow) correctly! Sejanus is supposed to be the one grounded character
As a classically trained singer, I have to say that I am continually impressed by Zegler’s singing. Like, wow! She’s easily one my favorite non-Classical singers. But I do wonder about her acting. So I’ll be curious to see this!
I was classically trained myself, her voice is a beautiful talent, that’s for sure. No one can deny her ability and versatility. I’m actually quite excited for the soundtrack to this movie.
Saw the movie last night and thought it was fantastic. As a book reader thought it was a very solid adaptation of the book. Considering this book was the biggest one yet they had to cut a lot of things out, and I felt what they did cut out was what I'd call "filler stuff," and to have cut it in to two movies not sure that would have been a great idea either; yes it was a bit fast paced but I liked that as it touched on the really important things in the book, and as I found part 3 kind of slow in the book, here I didn't mind how it was handled, tho yes a part or two was changed. Great movie; would like to see it again.
I had no idea about the song comparison between the hanging tree and hanging fruit. In my opinion it didn’t sound like the song at all and just had the same subject matter of someone hanging. It (Hanging tree) was more about forbidden love and I thought it was more similar to classic nursery songs with a dark origin or meaning which Katniss explains in the book.
Your comments on Lucy Gray were a bit backwards and it’s mainly due to the screenplay. I don’t think they added enough information for the audience to grasp the main characterization of Lucy Gray. You mention that she “doesn’t seem like she represents the 99% like Katniss does,” and that “she comes off as a musical theatre student playing the part of the people rather than authentically being apart of the people.” And your comments are entirely correct but the reasoning seems off. In the novel she is apart of the Covey, and although they briefly mentioned this in the film I don’t think they went into it enough. During the Dark Days of the rebellion, the capitol vs the districts, she mentions in the book that the Covey were completely neutral, not taking the sides of either capitol or districts. She wasn’t born into District 12, she and some others were forced there by the peacekeepers. This is the reason why she doesn’t seem to resonate with Katniss, saying she “didn’t feel like she was the 99%” is accurate, because she technically wasn’t. It did feel like she was “playing the part” of representing authenticity of the people because that’s essentially what she was doing, as she was forced into it rather than being born into it.
I was very shocked when Grace revealed that she’s not big on reading! I really think that exposure to the source material would really help in her review of this film and other adaptations in general. 🤷🏽♂️
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games book series including this latest book is, in fact, a political commentary about the nature and realities of war and what it does to the people in it. It’s based on her father’s recollections about the realities of the Vietnam War. So, if it has a political feel, it was supposed to.
Grace, I agree with your take about having different directors for a franchise! I’m a huge fan of Twilight and I loved that each movie had a different director. Each movie felt fresh, had different characteristics, personality, but still felt connected. I love Harry Potter, but David Yates made the franchise boring. He should’ve been let go after Half Blood Prince, despite me loving FB and Where to Find Them.
It was a lengthy book Grace. Catching Fire was also a long movie. This movie being 2hr 45 min was always in the cards, it's not long just for the sake of being long.
Just came from watching it, I totally agree with Grace on her analysis, running time was never an issue and honestly didn't knew the running time before going in, so you know there was no waste and TBH I thought there has to be a half hour longer version of it.
I LOVED this movie. Only saw the 3rd one back in the day, but had a marathon about a year ago where I watched all 4 of them in a few nights, and I thought they were alright. So I was kinda iffy going into this one, but I figured why not. And I’m so glad I did. In my opinion, this is by far the best installment. It had me on the edge of my seat in several scenes and really got me emotional in different parts. Loved it.
I think a lot of the issues you bring up are issues from the translation from the book to the screen. I think if this was split into two maybe there would be enough time to actually go in depth and understand the reasoning for snows actions. In the book there's a lot of inner dialogue that is obviously missed.
From what I’ve seen, Rachel will be an absolutely perfect Lucy Gray Baird. But haven’t seen much of Tom Blyth through the trailers and curious to see how he does since the book is Coriolanus’ POV The book also does a really great job at making you actually like Snow during this story even when you know he eventually becomes the biggest villain
Those who don’t understand the extent that Rachel KILLLLED that role haven’t read the book and don’t understand the thesis of the character. Rachel is so talented and absolutely sold the movie for me.
Idea for next Hunger Games movie: What happened between Snow and Tigris? I'd like to see her as a stylist in a fresh new hunger games. Maybe she fell in love with her tribute and begged snow to stop the games and that's how they fell out?
Had Francis Lawrence pushed not to split the final installment for the hunger games like he admits now... That movie would have beat catching fire no doubt.. The story was so so good.
I haven't seen the movie yet so idk how I'll feel about Serjanus in the movie....but in the books Snow is kinda forced to be friends with Serjanus due to circumstances and not so much because he wants to, eventually Snow does see him as a friend even if he denies it. But the Serjanus character is a young man with a lot demons, a lot of guilt for having things he doesn't feel he deserves, he feels like he doesn't belong where he is now but also doesn't belong where he's from, so you can tell that his mind is fragile which lead him to do things that end up harming him and those close to him
Yeh the way snow views Sejanus is interesting. I think there is some conflict about it, but I wouldn’t say Snow was forced into being his friend. Snow initially ignored Sejanus which Sejanus took as a kindness whilst his classmates saw it as snow viewing Sejanus as beneath him so both benefited him. Quite often in his head he trashes Sejanus about his opinions, his compassion and how ungrateful he is for his situation. I think the ending solidified to me that he saw Sejanus as disposable.
@@davidfairweather3301I’d say Snow is always playing all angles. He doesn’t like him, but he knows his family is rich and that became crucial to his future success.
@@bradzillabrave6856 I’d definitely agree about him playing all angles. In the book, reading Snow in his interactions was like seeing someone play chess with everyone. Every response and interaction is calculated. It’s fascinating 😂
I'm a huge fan of the book and of Lucy Gray's character, and Rachel seems to be the perfect choice for the role. Her voice amazed me when I heard her version of The Hanging Tree.
In the books it makes it clear that even though Snow is in the capital he is starving just as much as the districts. So while the capital as a whole may be the one percent at this moment it is a lot more even.
MY Top Of the original The hunger games! 1 The Hunger Games catching Fire 2 The Hunger Games 3 Mockingjay Part 2 4 mockingjay part 1 Can’t wait for balad of songbirds and snakes!
as a black woman, i had never even thought about the strange fruit comparison until you brought it up! i’ll reserve judgement until i see it myself, but i’ve gotta tell you that it hasn’t bothered me all these years so i’m sure it’s fine lol. excited to see this film i loved the book 🎉
@@DCNerd_Barbie it's just a loser troll. But yes. The Hunger Games has it's finger on the pulse when it comes to basing a fictional tale of America's dark side. You can see so much of our heritage in how it portrays oppression and that's how I see the hanging tree song. It's a reference to America style evil/oppressions don't think it's offensive to not directly associate who the lynching used to target in the states. It's enough that they showed what lynching is FOR (traumatizing en mass).
I just watched this movie a week after The Marvels. 😅 It was such an emotional roller coaster for me. I almost cried twice, man! My expectations were mid, but this movie blew me away. The symbolism, the nostalgia, the cinematography and the singing. 🐦💙👏
Finally got to watch the movie and just have to say I totally disagree with your view on Peter Dinklage and Josh Andres Rivera's characters. The reveal at the end for Dinklage did so much to explain and add depth to his character and really made me feel for him. And I appreciate Josh's character b/c he was so genuine and kind of a foil to all the other characters who are just out for themselves. Overall, the movie made me think a lot and it all can apply to the real world at well so it's odd you say it's too much like real life and not a fantasy. That's what makes it fascinating.
I always fantasized about a limited series (on max maybe) that explored those 15 years between the end of the war and the epilogue. I think the chance to explore how one deals with ptsd from a war would be amazing from different POVs. When JLaw said recently that she would definitely jump into the HG world again, my dreams came alive lol
Omg @mpms04 , this whole time I've been thinking, "JLaw, Katniss story has a definite conclusion. There's no way to bring her back." -but you've totally reminded me about that time jump! Wow! It exists! But like... if Suzanne doesn't write it (and she doesn't want to), then i certainly wouldn't want it. I wish she had desire for more prequels. This one is INCREDIBLE. Brilliantly written. Fully explored.
i watched the movie 2 days ago and i absolutely loved it the singing, the characters, the storyline it didn't felt long for almost 3 hours. it kept me drawn in to the story. and dr. gaul aaaahhhh she's so scary and intriguing at the same time. her presence too is so powerful. and snow, i was rooting for him the first half of the film but then we get to see how he became the snow we knew the the previous hunger games films.
I watched it last night and it’s definitely better than mockingjay part 1 and 2. It’s up there with the first one (obviously not as good as Catching Fire). I agree with you on this one Grace. Btw I watched it in IMAX and they made a pretty good use of the screen. Agreed that it feels scarier since we are sort of moving towards that kind of dystopia.
I liked the Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2 films way more than Catching Fire. Catching Fire just felt like a pointless rehash of everything we already did in the first installment as a cash grab. At least Mockingjay did something to advance the story. I loved the much darker tone of the final installment.
I think the 8 year gap is fine since THG is THE YA dystopian novel/film franchise, the audience was 10-15 when the original films came out, so this could possibly be half their life later!
I can’t wait for this movie! I was in middle school when the first one came out and it’s so crazy that we’re getting another movie in the franchise 10 years later.
I just want to see the marvels you we’re right, Grace it’s a good movie, It’s just a fun time there’s nothing about “girl boss” Or the patriarchy there was 1 line, But it was funny
The Fantastic Beasts (just the first movie) comparison is on point. Both are spin-offs of two of the big 3 YA franchises and despite not having most of the original characters, both end up surprisingly good with a very good story and characters.
All this did was make me miss the Fantastic Beasts movies….I want more Dumbledore and Grindlewald….I might check this movie out for a fun villain story then watch the Hunger Games movies for the first time finally :)
I'm a big fan of the original movies and always thought they had their own style/atmosphere. I will definitely be checking out this one; great review Grace!
You say you saw it in IMAX but you didn't say if it was IMAX 2D or IMAX 3D. Our local Cinemark has both an IMAX and an XD auditorium both are offering 1 showtime each on 3D all the other showtimes are 2D. Just curious if the 3D is worth it or not.
I kept seeing that image of Tom Blyth and wondering where I'd seen him before, turns out I haven't I've just been playing too much Baldur's Gate 3 and he looks like Astarion
YES IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR YOU TO COVER THISSS IM ROLLING UP NOW AND EXCITED TO HEAR WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY GRACESE THANK YOUUU THIS FRANCHISE IS MY LIFE
I can wait to watch the move next week! It is just a one off, since there has only been 1 book prequel since the original book trilogy. But I guess we'll see if there is more in the near future. The long title is only because that's what the book title is.
Historical accuracy gladiators weren’t forced to fight to the death. They were allowed to heal for their next fights. Just an FYI. If you read the book 📕 the movie would make sense also and this isn’t a fantastic beast situation. The author ✍️ writes books unlike JK who can’t write anymore.
Awesome Breakdown Grace! I wasn’t sure about this movie but now I think I wanna see it. Catching Fire is also my Favorite Hunger Games it’s really the best one!
Her costumes look stunning, Katniss was always in combat boots and trousers, which suited the character, but i love to see a heroine in beautiful dresses and skirts as well.
Well in the books there was no stylist or rules to bring stylist for their tributes during 10th Hunger Games, that was just an initiative from Tigris to make Lucy Gray looks stunning, so there were no rules on what to wear during when
I try to not let any external factors (within reason) influence my decision making when choosing what media to consume, so since the trailer looks really good (and the fact I saw THG 1), I'll go see this film. While I don't agree necessarily agree with Ziegler's critic of the original Snow White animation, I do agree it's a pretty bad piece of media. It's an utterly bowderised version of the Brothers Grimm's Schnee Weiss and the 7 little freaks just creepier with further analysis.
Hunger Games have always been a viewpoint of how the US is / could be. We’ve seen the Elite shape our country horrible. So rooting for them no, making them visible and showing the true villains yes. Maybe that’s what the vision of the movie is
There really could have been 1 or 2 Hunger Games films made between the first movie and Catching Fire. Exploring that world that Katniss grew up in before Catching Fire blows it all up.
If you thought that Snow was noble and good then the movie must not have done a good job since in the book his thoughts ran very much in sociopathic direction and most of his good actions were an act.
I went to a press screening for this in Burbank (my first one ever!) and I was so excited. I absolutely LOVE the book and the original ones as well. The movie didn’t quite capture the book’s themes and I don’t like some little changes that were made, but the movie is quite good overall and it was amazing seeing the story come to life!
![Summer Walker - Heart Of A Woman [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SFddctbZzw8/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm just over here shaking my head at the critique that this is too reminiscent of real life. That has ALWAYS been the point of the hunger games
I wrote an entire long comment about why grace isn’t interested in actually editing reviews so she doesn’t make herself sound like she’s saying that the hunger games actually happened. Then I realised that she’s as interested in reading the comments of those who read books as she is in reading books themselves.
I agree! She openly admits she doesn’t read books. She definitely should read more books other than comics and articles with brain dead takes like that. ‘Critiques’ saying that it’s too close too real life when the whole point of the series is showing focus on what can happen when government takes full control is the whole point of this franchise. But she definitely could care less about that
Yes, I watched the original movies recently and I really got a settler colonial vibe, particularly with what's happening in Gaza
I think she meant it in the lines of feeling more uncomfortable watching knowing whats going on in the world even if its a commentary. I did feel the same way tbh even though i enjoyed the movie.
she literally says that she knows it’s supposed to be social commentary
Your view on Sejanus is almost exactly how Corio sees him in the book haha. A walking liability and he doesn’t consider him a friend. He only begins to like him once he becomes a peacekeeper and needs his company
yeah and snow actually feels bad about betraying him at the end
To your point Grace, I’d like to add that the author Suzanne Colins, has stated that the book is a one-off, and at least from a fan seems way more authentic and genuine than just a money grab like the fantastic beats series feels. It’s cool to see a franchise at this level have a spin off, and not it dragging out, clearly just trying to be a blockbuster
I really love Suzanne Collins as an author. Even when the original trilogy came out, she really wasn’t one for all the fame and celebrity stuff. She rarely does interviews and just quietly monitors the films to make sure she can help wherever she can.
She could’ve easily made BANK if she came back with a book about Haymitch, Johanna, Finnick or something but she honestly went for something risky, and less popular. She clearly had passion for the story.
The book is fantastic, I can't wait to watch the movie....I've seen a lot of people talking about how Snow has always been horrible and how we shouldn't be fooled into having compassion for him...but if you read the book and pay attention, you can see that this book is about how trauma can be exploited by those that hold some influence over us and how they can manipulate it to turn you into something that you weren't in the first place. Snow had so much trauma from when he was little, no only war trauma, but also his mother dying, his father never showing him love and then having carry the weight placed on him by his grandmother to keep the Snow name in good standing. He ended up being the product of grooming from an evil professor that saw a way to exploit his brilliance for the bad. We always walk the line between good and evil, and he was swayed to the evil and sadly never looked bad.
Have you ever heard/seen Battle Royale? It came first before THG even before the books.
@cyclonechaos yes, I have heard of it, when the first HG book came out everyone compared it to it, but never watched or read it
@@cyclonechaosyou do realise that the idea of a “battle royale” isn’t unique to that movie. Acting like it created the concept. The idea of it stems from the gladiatorial fights in Ancient Rome which Suzanne Collins got a lot of her inspiration from, and mixed it with futuristic technology and our need to entertainment and overconsumption of reality TV. There are very few parallels you can find between the Hunger Games and Battle royale.
@@davidfairweather3301 ... Not what I meant. I just meant that BR came first before HG not that it was the first of it's concept.
@@cyclonechaos In my opinion, Battle Royale was not good lol. It was honestly quite boring.
I was most worried about how they'd capture Sejanus's story in the film because so much of it is based on things that are difficult to portray on screen. I really loved him in the book so I'm sad to hear that plot doesn't land in the movie, but I'm still excited! In the book it's very clear that Sejanus is a gentle, inherently kind person who isn't built to survive in a cruel or fascist society and that he's breaking under the weight of it. He has nothing to live for and Snow becomes his only friend, but then from Snow's perspective we see that he is mostly disgusted by Sejanus and feels pity for him. It doesn't help that Sejanus is struggling with being part of a class traitor family and having to essentially participate in a mass murder.
Yeah, it's funny the graces view of him is similar to how snow Hates him in his own head lol. He's a great and important character but I understand it's hard to adapt
They didn't really capture his gentle side and how actually heartbroken he was, it was all one note. Angrily making snarking comments or throwing chairs. Even in the arena, which should be a breaking point, he didn't change.
@@aliciabergman1252Interesting, I definitely picked up that he was supposed to be a gentle kind soul and I really liked him. My partner though, she saw him as just a naive rich guy. I think it's really just a matter of perspective and the gaps you fill in for the character that the movie didn't have time to fill in for you.
I agree! Overall i rated this movie when i walked out a 92%. I was actually excited to visit this world again and it was so interesting at how they made it more of the times, 10th annual. I actually wanna watch the originals now!
Rachel did seem like a theater student at the beginnning for me but then she grew on me. Her voice i thought sounded amazing and she commanded my attention, as well as my theaters. They all sat and stared and nobody giggled like i thought would've happened with a song. I DID however, towards the end, start getting over the songs back to back to back on top of each other it dragged for about 10 minutes for me but that last hour i was like, wait, where are we going to go now?! But i enjoyed most (minus maybe 10 mins) of that last hour. I was very surprised.
Peter Dinklage was absolutely HORRIBLE in this role!
Viola Davis was SO fun to watch and just amazing in every scene. She pulls you in here, and if they do another, i would like to see her for the sequel!
The lead, whose name i missed, is GREAT! I'm definitely a fan. Now i need to learn his name and remember it. Lol.
What I love most about these reviews: there is a balance of objective empathy given to the story and characters, us (the audience) and to the business but most of all to Grace's own feelings about what she's seen & it's context in the world
❤😊
@@jamiewilliams6529 Your reply does not say anything about Grace or the channel, but a lot about what kind of a person you must be 🤔
@@deeonbrownwell she give shit movies good ratings, bc it has a female lead in it.
The marvels was a bad movie, bad writing, bad cgi.
And she still praised the movie…. She doesn’t really criticize movies without emotional point of view.
I have to disagree about the choice of her being from the south. I haven’t seen the movie, but I am from Appalachia. There is a difference between the south and Appalachia. When THG came out, everyone I knew was so excited to finally get rep. In the books, 12 is distinctly set in Appalachia. The coal industry has really shaped this region. Having an action series showcasing how we talk, our music and culture makes us feel very seen when we rarely are in media without stereotypes. I’m very excited to see how they interpret it, and from what I can tell, they’ve done so very respectfully.
Sejanus is a character that continually put Corio in danger and brought him into trouble. Corio can barely stand him in the books and essentially uses both Sejanus and Sejanus’ family for wealth and to help him gain power. It’s tough because Sejanus’ character is actually morally good but he makes stupid and rash decisions.
I’m a little more than half-way through the book now and I’m starting to get really excited for the movie. And, up until a week or so ago, I wasn’t really looking forward to it all that much. On a side note, being in his head the whole time makes it pretty easy to see where the bread crumbs toward his villainous turn begin to formulate fairly early on. It’s almost too obvious, so I’m glad to hear the film doesn’t seem to make it so evident. He’s pretty insufferable in the novel, but I’m still enjoying it.
If it’s not obvious why Snow is Sejanus’s “friend” in the film, then they didn’t do (or snow) correctly! Sejanus is supposed to be the one grounded character
People want this, it’s been blowing up on TikTok. Cannot wait, the book is amazing.
As a classically trained singer, I have to say that I am continually impressed by Zegler’s singing. Like, wow! She’s easily one my favorite non-Classical singers. But I do wonder about her acting. So I’ll be curious to see this!
TheMusicalLawyer,
What the 2021 West Side Story movie. She knocks it out of the park 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿💯
You’re a classically trained singer?
I was classically trained myself, her voice is a beautiful talent, that’s for sure. No one can deny her ability and versatility. I’m actually quite excited for the soundtrack to this movie.
@@melindamercier6811 that’s amazing
Her voice is exceptional. One of my favourite voices currently. It's just so gorgeous.
Saw the movie last night and thought it was fantastic. As a book reader thought it was a very solid adaptation of the book. Considering this book was the biggest one yet they had to cut a lot of things out, and I felt what they did cut out was what I'd call "filler stuff," and to have cut it in to two movies not sure that would have been a great idea either; yes it was a bit fast paced but I liked that as it touched on the really important things in the book, and as I found part 3 kind of slow in the book, here I didn't mind how it was handled, tho yes a part or two was changed. Great movie; would like to see it again.
I had no idea about the song comparison between the hanging tree and hanging fruit. In my opinion it didn’t sound like the song at all and just had the same subject matter of someone hanging. It (Hanging tree) was more about forbidden love and I thought it was more similar to classic nursery songs with a dark origin or meaning which Katniss explains in the book.
Your comments on Lucy Gray were a bit backwards and it’s mainly due to the screenplay. I don’t think they added enough information for the audience to grasp the main characterization of Lucy Gray. You mention that she “doesn’t seem like she represents the 99% like Katniss does,” and that “she comes off as a musical theatre student playing the part of the people rather than authentically being apart of the people.” And your comments are entirely correct but the reasoning seems off.
In the novel she is apart of the Covey, and although they briefly mentioned this in the film I don’t think they went into it enough. During the Dark Days of the rebellion, the capitol vs the districts, she mentions in the book that the Covey were completely neutral, not taking the sides of either capitol or districts. She wasn’t born into District 12, she and some others were forced there by the peacekeepers.
This is the reason why she doesn’t seem to resonate with Katniss, saying she “didn’t feel like she was the 99%” is accurate, because she technically wasn’t. It did feel like she was “playing the part” of representing authenticity of the people because that’s essentially what she was doing, as she was forced into it rather than being born into it.
Well said
I was very shocked when Grace revealed that she’s not big on reading! I really think that exposure to the source material would really help in her review of this film and other adaptations in general. 🤷🏽♂️
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games book series including this latest book is, in fact, a political commentary about the nature and realities of war and what it does to the people in it. It’s based on her father’s recollections about the realities of the Vietnam War. So, if it has a political feel, it was supposed to.
Grace, I agree with your take about having different directors for a franchise! I’m a huge fan of Twilight and I loved that each movie had a different director. Each movie felt fresh, had different characteristics, personality, but still felt connected. I love Harry Potter, but David Yates made the franchise boring. He should’ve been let go after Half Blood Prince, despite me loving FB and Where to Find Them.
It was a lengthy book Grace. Catching Fire was also a long movie. This movie being 2hr 45 min was always in the cards, it's not long just for the sake of being long.
Just came from watching it, I totally agree with Grace on her analysis, running time was never an issue and honestly didn't knew the running time before going in, so you know there was no waste and TBH I thought there has to be a half hour longer version of it.
I LOVED this movie. Only saw the 3rd one back in the day, but had a marathon about a year ago where I watched all 4 of them in a few nights, and I thought they were alright. So I was kinda iffy going into this one, but I figured why not. And I’m so glad I did. In my opinion, this is by far the best installment. It had me on the edge of my seat in several scenes and really got me emotional in different parts. Loved it.
I may be an outlier here, but Mockingjay Part 1 has always been my favorite film. But as far as books go, Ballad surprisingly takes the top spot.
I think a lot of the issues you bring up are issues from the translation from the book to the screen. I think if this was split into two maybe there would be enough time to actually go in depth and understand the reasoning for snows actions. In the book there's a lot of inner dialogue that is obviously missed.
Y’all just don’t like Rachel for some reason. And it’s stupid
From what I’ve seen, Rachel will be an absolutely perfect Lucy Gray Baird.
But haven’t seen much of Tom Blyth through the trailers and curious to see how he does since the book is Coriolanus’ POV
The book also does a really great job at making you actually like Snow during this story even when you know he eventually becomes the biggest villain
*"heh heh heh WEIRD WEIRD!"*
Who’s Lucy Gray Beard?
@@mabusestestament She's the female tribute of District 12 during the 10th Hunger Games. Snow is her mentor.
@@olivierlechapeau3089
10th Hunger Games?
@@mabusestestament Yes. This movie is about the 10th Hunger Games. It's a prequel about Snow when he was a young man.
Those who don’t understand the extent that Rachel KILLLLED that role haven’t read the book and don’t understand the thesis of the character. Rachel is so talented and absolutely sold the movie for me.
Idea for next Hunger Games movie: What happened between Snow and Tigris? I'd like to see her as a stylist in a fresh new hunger games. Maybe she fell in love with her tribute and begged snow to stop the games and that's how they fell out?
Had Francis Lawrence pushed not to split the final installment for the hunger games like he admits now... That movie would have beat catching fire no doubt.. The story was so so good.
Tom Blyth and Rachel were amazing!
I haven't seen the movie yet so idk how I'll feel about Serjanus in the movie....but in the books Snow is kinda forced to be friends with Serjanus due to circumstances and not so much because he wants to, eventually Snow does see him as a friend even if he denies it. But the Serjanus character is a young man with a lot demons, a lot of guilt for having things he doesn't feel he deserves, he feels like he doesn't belong where he is now but also doesn't belong where he's from, so you can tell that his mind is fragile which lead him to do things that end up harming him and those close to him
Yeh the way snow views Sejanus is interesting. I think there is some conflict about it, but I wouldn’t say Snow was forced into being his friend. Snow initially ignored Sejanus which Sejanus took as a kindness whilst his classmates saw it as snow viewing Sejanus as beneath him so both benefited him. Quite often in his head he trashes Sejanus about his opinions, his compassion and how ungrateful he is for his situation. I think the ending solidified to me that he saw Sejanus as disposable.
@@davidfairweather3301I’d say Snow is always playing all angles. He doesn’t like him, but he knows his family is rich and that became crucial to his future success.
@@bradzillabrave6856 I’d definitely agree about him playing all angles. In the book, reading Snow in his interactions was like seeing someone play chess with everyone. Every response and interaction is calculated. It’s fascinating 😂
It's not out yet
So happy Hunter Schafer is getting to work in big blockbusters. I LOVE ❤️ her on Euphoria
Him
I'm a huge fan of the book and of Lucy Gray's character, and Rachel seems to be the perfect choice for the role. Her voice amazed me when I heard her version of The Hanging Tree.
In the books it makes it clear that even though Snow is in the capital he is starving just as much as the districts. So while the capital as a whole may be the one percent at this moment it is a lot more even.
MY Top Of the original The hunger games!
1 The Hunger Games catching Fire
2 The Hunger Games
3 Mockingjay Part 2
4 mockingjay part 1
Can’t wait for balad of songbirds and snakes!
Catching Fire is the best movie but Mockingjay is the best book
wheres the spoiler review????
as a black woman, i had never even thought about the strange fruit comparison until you brought it up! i’ll reserve judgement until i see it myself, but i’ve gotta tell you that it hasn’t bothered me all these years so i’m sure it’s fine lol. excited to see this film i loved the book 🎉
"As a black woman..." 🙄
@@lorileon2816 …her point was about the song being offensive to BLACK people. what’s the problem
@@DCNerd_Barbie it's just a loser troll. But yes. The Hunger Games has it's finger on the pulse when it comes to basing a fictional tale of America's dark side. You can see so much of our heritage in how it portrays oppression and that's how I see the hanging tree song.
It's a reference to America style evil/oppressions don't think it's offensive to not directly associate who the lynching used to target in the states. It's enough that they showed what lynching is FOR (traumatizing en mass).
As a Rachel Zegler Fan AND STAND! I loved her in this role!!💖😫
I just watched this movie a week after The Marvels. 😅 It was such an emotional roller coaster for me. I almost cried twice, man! My expectations were mid, but this movie blew me away. The symbolism, the nostalgia, the cinematography and the singing. 🐦💙👏
Finally got to watch the movie and just have to say I totally disagree with your view on Peter Dinklage and Josh Andres Rivera's characters. The reveal at the end for Dinklage did so much to explain and add depth to his character and really made me feel for him. And I appreciate Josh's character b/c he was so genuine and kind of a foil to all the other characters who are just out for themselves. Overall, the movie made me think a lot and it all can apply to the real world at well so it's odd you say it's too much like real life and not a fantasy. That's what makes it fascinating.
Rachel Zegler was MADE to play Lucy Gray. It’s a different perspective if you read the book. She did amazing
hearing this is up there with catching fire (for the second time!) makes me excited to see it! that and rachel’s dress from the promo tour lol
Yes Catching Fire is my favorite and this movie is UP THERE. Better than the first for sure
I always fantasized about a limited series (on max maybe) that explored those 15 years between the end of the war and the epilogue. I think the chance to explore how one deals with ptsd from a war would be amazing from different POVs. When JLaw said recently that she would definitely jump into the HG world again, my dreams came alive lol
Nah we can just let things be how it is
Omg @mpms04 , this whole time I've been thinking, "JLaw, Katniss story has a definite conclusion. There's no way to bring her back." -but you've totally reminded me about that time jump! Wow! It exists! But like... if Suzanne doesn't write it (and she doesn't want to), then i certainly wouldn't want it. I wish she had desire for more prequels. This one is INCREDIBLE. Brilliantly written. Fully explored.
i watched the movie 2 days ago and i absolutely loved it the singing, the characters, the storyline it didn't felt long for almost 3 hours. it kept me drawn in to the story. and dr. gaul aaaahhhh she's so scary and intriguing at the same time. her presence too is so powerful. and snow, i was rooting for him the first half of the film but then we get to see how he became the snow we knew the the previous hunger games films.
The scene from mockingjay where u hear hanging tree and the slaves blow up the Dam is a masterpiece scene
I hope they do a movie about Haymitch's game. It was in the 2nd book but skipped in the movie
I fully expected Grace to follow up "I don't know about you" with "but I'm feeling 22" 😅
Very excited for this movie 🍿 🎥 I think the hunger games universe has a lot more to offer
Maybe one day I’ll get into the franchise, start reading the books and everything, especially if this is the start of a sort of revival for it. ☺️
@@rocco3605 this new book is rlly good, highly recommend checking it out
Grace are you still doing a spoiler review? we’d love to hear your thoughts on that ending!
RACHEL'S PERFORMANCE WAS GREAT!
This does have significantly less baggage than Fantastic Beasts does, so that should help.
RACHEL ZEGLER IS A STAND OUT!
I watched it last night and it’s definitely better than mockingjay part 1 and 2. It’s up there with the first one (obviously not as good as Catching Fire). I agree with you on this one Grace. Btw I watched it in IMAX and they made a pretty good use of the screen. Agreed that it feels scarier since we are sort of moving towards that kind of dystopia.
Aw man im kinda scared they didn’t portray Sejanus well in the movie
I liked the Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2 films way more than Catching Fire. Catching Fire just felt like a pointless rehash of everything we already did in the first installment as a cash grab. At least Mockingjay did something to advance the story. I loved the much darker tone of the final installment.
RACHEL ZEGLER WAS A STAND OUT!
I'm always open to a good villain story. We don't see that much those days.
Hey Grace. Much on the students? Like Clemensia and Arachne?
I think the 8 year gap is fine since THG is THE YA dystopian novel/film franchise, the audience was 10-15 when the original films came out, so this could possibly be half their life later!
I can’t wait for this movie! I was in middle school when the first one came out and it’s so crazy that we’re getting another movie in the franchise 10 years later.
I just want to see the marvels you we’re right, Grace it’s a good movie, It’s just a fun time there’s nothing about “girl boss” Or the patriarchy there was 1 line, But it was funny
I'm excited for this movie. I really enjoyed the book and now I am more excited because of your review🎉🎉. I'm going with my friends!
❤😊
i feel it’s more like The King’s Man prequel instead of Fantastic Beasts
The Fantastic Beasts (just the first movie) comparison is on point. Both are spin-offs of two of the big 3 YA franchises and despite not having most of the original characters, both end up surprisingly good with a very good story and characters.
I'm surprised by how good the reaction to this movie is since I thought the book was quite boring. I'm happy though and I'm curious to see it.
rachel zegler is closer to how i imagined katniss to look like
All this did was make me miss the Fantastic Beasts movies….I want more Dumbledore and Grindlewald….I might check this movie out for a fun villain story then watch the Hunger Games movies for the first time finally :)
I still wish they did haymich hunger games because it was the 50th games which the twist was double of reaping 24 to 48
I'm a big fan of the original movies and always thought they had their own style/atmosphere. I will definitely be checking out this one; great review Grace!
I love Hunter Schafer. Only seeing this film for her!
Him
You say you saw it in IMAX but you didn't say if it was IMAX 2D or IMAX 3D. Our local Cinemark has both an IMAX and an XD auditorium both are offering 1 showtime each on 3D all the other showtimes are 2D. Just curious if the 3D is worth it or not.
2D IMAX! :)
@@BeyondTheTrailer Thank you! Always enjoy your content.
I 100 percent agree with your strange fruit and hanging tree analysis. It also makes me uncomfortable and I find it inappropriate as well.
Racheal zelgler needs this win can’t wait to see it love me a grace review
❤😊
Funny how these films about 1% villains, they never look like our real life 1%
Catching Fire was the best film. I remember going to see that film twice in the theaters.
Kiddos throwing fits at Rachel. 😂
Iol watch this it doesnt look bad.
I kept seeing that image of Tom Blyth and wondering where I'd seen him before, turns out I haven't I've just been playing too much Baldur's Gate 3 and he looks like Astarion
If they were to make a sequel, i would like to haymitches game, which i think was the first quaterquell.
WE ARE HERE!!!
I am rooting for Rachel! ❤
❤😊
Josh Rivera was amazing wtf are u talking about??
YES IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR YOU TO COVER THISSS IM ROLLING UP NOW AND EXCITED TO HEAR WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY GRACESE THANK YOUUU THIS FRANCHISE IS MY LIFE
THE MOVIE WAS GOOD! ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES IN THE FRANCHISE!
LUCYS DRESS IS SUCH A GOOD COSTUME
I can wait to watch the move next week! It is just a one off, since there has only been 1 book prequel since the original book trilogy. But I guess we'll see if there is more in the near future. The long title is only because that's what the book title is.
Historical accuracy gladiators weren’t forced to fight to the death. They were allowed to heal for their next fights. Just an FYI. If you read the book 📕 the movie would make sense also and this isn’t a fantastic beast situation. The author ✍️ writes books unlike JK who can’t write anymore.
A win for Rachel? Love to see it! 🎉
❤😊
Awesome Breakdown Grace! I wasn’t sure about this movie but now I think I wanna see it. Catching Fire is also my Favorite Hunger Games it’s really the best one!
Wow it really hurt not having anyone market the films. I didn't even know this movie was a thing.
Her costumes look stunning, Katniss was always in combat boots and trousers, which suited the character, but i love to see a heroine in beautiful dresses and skirts as well.
Agreed but tbh it doesn’t make sense to be in a physical battle wearing a dress and formal shoes lol
Well in the books there was no stylist or rules to bring stylist for their tributes during 10th Hunger Games, that was just an initiative from Tigris to make Lucy Gray looks stunning, so there were no rules on what to wear during when
I try to not let any external factors (within reason) influence my decision making when choosing what media to consume, so since the trailer looks really good (and the fact I saw THG 1), I'll go see this film.
While I don't agree necessarily agree with Ziegler's critic of the original Snow White animation, I do agree it's a pretty bad piece of media. It's an utterly bowderised version of the Brothers Grimm's Schnee Weiss and the 7 little freaks just creepier with further analysis.
Hunger Games have always been a viewpoint of how the US is / could be. We’ve seen the Elite shape our country horrible. So rooting for them no, making them visible and showing the true villains yes. Maybe that’s what the vision of the movie is
Not my truth
The fact that someone can openly say they don't read, is crazy to me.
The relief I felt seeing the thumbnail as a hunger games fan
There really could have been 1 or 2 Hunger Games films made between the first movie and Catching Fire. Exploring that world that Katniss grew up in before Catching Fire blows it all up.
If you thought that Snow was noble and good then the movie must not have done a good job since in the book his thoughts ran very much in sociopathic direction and most of his good actions were an act.
If Terrence Malick made this, maybe we would know that
I adore the Hunger Games, but the books only. I dislike the movies quite a lot. I am intrigued about this film though.
I went to a press screening for this in Burbank (my first one ever!) and I was so excited. I absolutely LOVE the book and the original ones as well. The movie didn’t quite capture the book’s themes and I don’t like some little changes that were made, but the movie is quite good overall and it was amazing seeing the story come to life!
But is the highly know actor from the first Hunger Games movie *Charles White* returning to this one ?
He has a huge Cameo
@@kingslayer2999 😯