Darkness Returns

I shot a very similar style Blip to this back in November called 'Into Darkness' and they are in fact linked - this is the eastern branch line from the one that runs beneath the bridge that was pictured then and is my new obastacle - no bridge, just a crossing that I've been stopped at four times on the way to work!

This morning was unusually productive for a Saturday - I woke up early, ran the washing machine and dishwasher and took care of a bit more tidying up of the house. Thank goodness then for the afternoon - a trip to the cinema so that laziness and reviews can return! And what a treat for you all - a double bill today!

First up was 'We Bought a Zoo', a new film by Cameron Crowe based on the true life story of Bejamin Mee. Played by Matt Damon, Mee is a writer who is struggling to cope with raising his two children after his wife's death - he's looking for a way out, a new start for all of them (his son's expulsion being one of several motivators) and finds the perfect house... which includes its own zoo. Any sensible person would probably have stopped there, but they would be reckoning without the powerful cuteness of Mee's daughter (brillianted portrayed by Maggie Jones, see trailer for example) and his own motto (given to him by his brother, played by Thomas Haydn Church): You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.

As you can tell from the above I was mostly captivated by the performances of the folks in this film (not forgetting Scarlett Johansson as head zookeeper) but this is set in a zoo... and there's animals. As always there's the requisite cute monkey but he's upstaged by three elder statesmen - Buster the Brown Bear, whose side story is the most fun, Solomon the lion who has a comical run-in with a drunk Scotsman and then Spar, the zoo's eldest tiger and the animal who forces Mee to face some realities he's been unable to accept before then.

So all in all it's quite a lovely family film, maybe not so swear-free as you might think given the rating (but all the young families in the cinema didn't seem to mind), but nevertheless very enjoyable - I recommend a viewing.

The second film is partly linked to today's title, I'll explain at the end (because it's spoilery), and it is 'The Hunger Games'.

Quite a tricky one to review this... for anyone who doesn't know the story I'll start there. Set in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which consists of twelve districts and the capitol, the Hunger Games are the by-product of a rebellion seventy four years in the past, when the thirteen outlying districts rose against the capital - and lost. The surviving districts (District 13 was wiped out in the rebellion) now pay a yearly tribute to the Capitol, and that tribute is a boy and girl aged 12-18, all of whom are put into an arena from which only one may emerge alive - in summary it's a brutal system that punishes the former rebellious districts and keeps the Capitol in authority.

The film focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a sixteen year old girl who cares for her mother and younger sister in District 12. When her sister is chosen as the tribute in the annual 'Reaping' Katniss volunteers herself instead, and she, with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are taken away from the district to compete in the Hunger Games. The rest of the film follows the two as they are trained, attempt to build a following in the rich crowds of the capitol (who can send gifts in to their sponsors in the games) and meet the other tributes - including the trained volunteers from districts one and two. This also sees some support in former District 12 winner Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) and guide Effie (Elisabeth Banks) who help the two gain popularity before the games.

And then we get to the second half of the movie, and the brutality of the games themselves. Twenty-four tributes are sent in, with the stage set for an immediate bloodbath (as Haymitch calls it) and in the first day eleven of them are killed. The rest of the film then follows the survivors around, as Katniss and Peeta try to stay alive (a new ruling means two survivors from the same district can win - and they are considered to be star-crossed lovers following some of the pre-games coaching), and the humanity and inhumanity of the other contestants in the games - looking at both allies (12 year-old Rue of District 11) and enemies (the 'career' tributes of districts 1 and 2).

I'm going to stop the story there because I want to avoid spoilers - you can scroll further down if you'd like though (the title explanation is there...)

In terms of the film itself I was blown away - it's not a film you can enjoy, kind of like 'The Dark Knight' - the concept is one that's truly evil to contemplate and the film, while it has been edited to get the rating (removing blood spray seems to be all they've done), does not actually shy away from showing this. Some of the scenes are brutal in their simplicity, and the actors have all been very well chosen for this. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is great casting - she's not a soft character, she cares but she won't let it weaken her - this comes across especially well in early scenes between her and her mother and sister. Alexander Ludwig as a career tribute was also particularly effective as I've only ever seen him being a good guy (in 'Race to Witch Mountain' and 'The Dark is Rising'). The rest of the cast also excelled in their roles (Woody Harrelson and Amandla Stenberg being my other favourites) but there's another non-human standout to mention and that's the scenery/locations in the film - less the CGI wonder of Capitol, more the environment they've set the arena in, the setting making it all look like a wilderness camping trip gone horrifyingly wrong.

So am I recommending it? Yes, it's a very well made film with uniformly excellent casting and an important, but brutal, story that is told unflinchingly and without dumbing down - but I will say it's not for the faint of heart.

Now - ONWARD THERE ARE SPOILERS - stop if you don't want to know what actually happens in the games!









As you may have guessed there comes a point when Katniss and Peeta become the only survivors, the others are killed by hazards in the arena (mutated dogs), natural causes (the smartest tribute is killed by her smartness, tracking Peeta when he finds poisonous berries to eat, and having some before him) or other tributes (Cato, played by Alexander Ludwig, is the male district 1 competitor and dies fighting Katniss and Peeta at the end). So our two protagonists survive, and that's when all the rules change - the Capitol now stating that there can only be one survivor. I'm not sure whether or not they see this coming in the book (out to buy the trilogy tomorrow!), but Katniss and Peeta quickly find a way out in the film, and both return to district 12 as the winners of the 74th Hunger Games...

So then why 'Darkness Returns' as the title? Well despite the 'nice' ending of 'The Hunger Games' there's a little shot at the end, as we watch their triumphant return, that hints at what's to come - I'll not reveal any of that (particularly as I only know from the blurb on the back of the other books) - and darkness is approaching Katniss's world.