Pre-Movie Review: My Thoughts on the Moments Before The Hunger Games

I'm an avid book reader, and The Hunger Games was a very fun read.  When I heard it was coming out as a movie, I knew I would see it within the first week.

And I rarely do that.  The last movie series I HAD TO SEE RIGHT AWAY was the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and NO, I didn't dress up).

So, the Monday after the release, my girlfriend and I went to see The Hunger Games in theaters.

The movie was good, although there were some minor changes from the book (there always is in every adaptation, get over it purists...).  What made this moviegoing experience memorable was the 30 minutes leading up to the start of the movie.  This is not a movie review, this is a pre-movie review.

We arrived a half hour early, to ensure good seating.  Showings were every 30 minutes, and most people were trying to cram into the 6:30 screening while we opted for 7:00.

We get to the screening room, and head to the 2nd row from the back.  This row has about 10 feet separating it from the back row, which means nobody kicking our seats.

(I went to see The Phantom Menace in 3D earlier this year, and almost beat the living shit out of a 10yo who wouldn't stop kicking my seat...)

We sat in the center.  5 minutes later, a group of teenage girls came and sat in the same row:

Exits on the left and right.  The came from the left, crossed my gf and I, and sat to the right of us.

They would get up to go get snacks.  Get up to pee before the movie.  Get up to find their other friends.  Every time, instead of going to the closer exit (on the right) they would go in front of us on their way to the left exit.

Seven times, they did this, before the movie even started...

My loving girlfriend remarked "Remember to bring a squirt bottle next time.  If it's good for training cats, maybe it's good for training teens..."

I love her...

(And some warning.  If you frequent the Edwards Movie Theater in Idaho Falls and get squirted with water in the future, it's us.)

As the previews started, my snarkiness grew.

The trailer for the 2nd Snow White movie this season came out, with Bella Swan as the heroine.  I'm no Twilight fan, so I'll be rooting for the Evil Queen this movie...

Johnny Depp (in another Tim Burton movie) playing a Vampire in the 70's, staying with an odd hippie family.  Oh, the hijinks will ensue!!  And what, no Helena Bonham Carter?  Did she die or something?  She's in all the Burton/Depp movies lately!!

Next was Prometheus, which looks like an "oops, we woke up some Aliens that are gonna kill us" type of movie.  Oh, it's made by Ridley Scott?  That makes sense...

What I loved most about the Prometheus trailer were the aliens.  They look like mutated Heffalumps from Winnie the Pooh...

I turn to my girlfriend and say "Holy shit, Pooh was right.  The heffalumps ARE going to get us!"  She laughed.  The people in front of me roared.  I made friends.  It was awesome.

A couple of shitty previews later, the movie started.  Teen girls played with their phones, and got yelled at by a crapton of movie goers.  It made me smile.  The movie was engaging, and would be entertaining for people who haven't read the book.  They explain a lot to make sure nobody gets lost.

But... of course the TwiHards are already getting on board.  I saw some girls this week with "Team Peeta" and "Team Gale" shirts on (when you see the movie or read the books, it will make more sense) when it dawned on me.  This movie is part Twilight, part Running Man, and a little bit of 1984 mixed in.  Nothing is really original in this story, but the mashup of themes works well.

Oh well.  Pass the popcorn (and the squirt bottle).

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