ZombiGurl

Freakmaker opens with a lot of time lapsed film about plant life, it almost feels like a nature show, but then the creepy 70s horror music starts. We then see Donald Pleasance playing a Mad Doctor that is obsessed with trying to splice together Human DNA with plant material. The Doctor reminds me of the Evil Dr. in Eyes Without a Face, complete with living in a secluded mansion with a pack of mad barking dogs. He has an assistant, Mr. Lynch, that is deformed and keeps promising him a cure if only he will help the Dr. with his freakish research. Mr Lynch is played by Tom Baker who goes on to play the Doctor in the Doctor Who series. The Mad Dr. also keeps some sort strange plant in his laboratory that he feeds live Rabbits to.

Freakmaker seems to borrow a lot from Tod Browning's 1932 Freaks. Mr. Lynch runs the carnival and gets his victims for the Dr.'s experiments from the Carnival. The Carnival has a side show showing various "Freaks", I am pretty sure these were real people with birth deformities. I am sure this must have been a controversial decision to use real people with deformities instead using make up, but I don't think this movie is one of the Video Nasties from the 70s. I wonder how it managed to get past the censors? There is even a dinner scene very similar to Freaks where they declare "he's one of us". Eventually the Freaks decide to turn on one of their own, also similar to a scene in Freaks.

Even though Donald Pleasance and Tom Baker give good performances in their roles, there really just isn't much of a plot here. The special FX are pretty silly looking with a giant rubber suited "Mutation" that looks like a giant human Venus Fly Trap. Most of the film is slow moving but it is still entertaining in that strange psychedelic 70s way.

Hunger Games is set in a futuristic society in which there is a huge difference in the society classes. The Society was set up with 12 Districts under the control of the state. At some point, there was an uprising against the Government in the past. The rebels lost their fight and as punishment, the Districts are strictly controlled. They are only allowed a small amount of food and resources. The surplus of goods are sent to the Capitol City where the inhabitants live a lush lifestyle. As a reminder not to start an uprising again, each Distict is forced to enter their children into the Reaping. At the Reaping, two children (a boy and a girl) are chosen too participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a no holds barred fight to the death. Only one participant is allowed to win, so children are forced to fight to the death. All of this is televised live in the Capitol City and the other Districts.

Capitol City is beautiful with large glass buildings and beautiful scenery. Everything is very high tech and fashionable. All the inhabitants have to do for food is push a button and food arrives fresh, steaming, and delicious. Their showers are equipped with lovely smelling shampoos and soaps with a touch of a button. The people in the city are dressed outlandishly in bright colours and garish outfits. I got the feeling that they are supposed to be extremely shallow and only concerned with fashion and gossip. In sharp contrast to this are the other districts. The people in the Districts are literally starving to death with not enough food. They quite often have inadequate shelter and the clothes they own are old and worn. They have to work hard for anything they have and they value their family. Family is the most important thing to them.

Katniss Everdeen is a skilled hunter with a bow and arrow. She sneaks under the electric fence surrounding the city every day and hunts for food all day long to feed her family. She trades in her daily catch at the market downtown for anything her family might need. Without Katniss hunting everyday her family would soon die of starvation. Gale is a good friend and helps her hunt and they share everything they catch.

It is mandatory that Katniss and her family attend the Reaping. Katniss' younger sister, Prim is chosen as the Tribute in the Reaping. Katniss is appalled and offers herself up as a volunteer to go to the Hunger Games in place of her sister. Peeta, the baker's son, is chosen as the other tribute from District 12. Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the modern and outlandish Capitol City where they are trained and scored to get ready for the Hunger Games.

I was impressed with how the movie closely follows the book's description of the Capitol City and it's inhabitants. There are some things that are changed, but I think it was in order to let the story flow nicely. Even with all this, the characters don't seem as well developed as they should be. The relationship between Peeta and katniss seems forced, like there wasn't enough time to develop it properly. I think the movie didn't adequately portray what was going on between them. Also I didn't feel as if they got the point across clear enough that people in the Districts were starving to death. The opening scenes in District 12 seem bleak but not lethal.

My biggest problem with the movie was the shaky cam used when it came to the fight scenes in the Hunger Games. I think they had to gloss over the really brutal and inventive death scenes that were so vividly described in the books in order to give it a PG-13 rating. It was hard to focus when the camera was shaking and blurry during any kind of fight scene. Maybe this made them seem more action packed to the audience? Maybe this helped gloss over the fact that 12 year olds were killing each other? I am not saying that I am disappointed with the level of violence shown because I wasn't expecting anything more graphic, I just think they down played it a bit too much. When a major character dies during the games, it seems too rushed or forced with false emotions. As is if the audience never got to know that character in the first place and then the grieving seems excessive and out of place.

I could tell they were setting this movie up to be the first in a very popular series. But, I enjoyed the movie for what it is...A futuristic Sci Fi Action movie. If you are expecting a Horror genre movie, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are expecting a nice action movie with a bit of romance in it you will enjoy it. So I would recommend going to see it with an open mind and no pre-conceived ideas of what it should be. Do not compare it to any earlier movies, because it has it's own unique story, characters, and setting. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour!