"The viewing experience is good, at least so far it's very good. It's already clear that the hunger games will be a successful commercial blockbuster," a film critic secretly noted.
"It's been over an hour, and halfway through the plot, there haven't been any obvious illogical elements. The story's setting is interesting, and the conflicts are intense."
"Although only Gal Gadot is a big name among the actors, the casting is reasonable. The Vanthia Ghost character is outstanding, which most likely makes this an excellent commercial film."
"I think the Vanthia Ghost character is too outstanding, somewhat stealing the spotlight from the female lead. Moreover, such a strong character must have a reasonable death, otherwise, the character's setup would be a failure."
"MGM is clearly promoting Crystal Liu. From supernatural to the hunger games, and then Dragon Ball, her career path is clearly visible: TV series, A-list production supporting actress, A-list production lead actress."
"Besides being involved with Eric Cooper, I really can't think of any other reason to promote an Asian actress. Although Crystal Liu is very beautiful, her career progression is truly too vast."
"Three steps to heaven! Right?"
"Yes, that's what I mean. But we still have to see the final box office for the hunger games. van helsing and harry potter 3 prisoner of azkaban next door are both super big IPs, especially harry potter. The future is uncertain."
"Haha, haven't you noticed? Ever since MGM clashed with The Big Six, big productions from the lion always win, but small-budget films are often brutally targeted. Let's see if the situation changes this time."
"I'm going to watch harry potter later to make a comparison and post my review tomorrow. What about you?"
"It's too late, I need to rest first."
On the big screen, Katniss and Peeta originally planned to pick up the scraps.
In their anticipation, although the Vanthia Ghost was terrifying, the four-person group wasn't foolish and would surely make her pay a heavy price.
Once both sides were severely wounded from fighting, they would then go out to clean up the battlefield.
It was important to note that both sides possessed a large amount of weapons, equipment, medical supplies, and other essential items. If they didn't eliminate them now, they wouldn't have such a good opportunity later.
After waiting for a while and sensing no movement, the fighting had probably ended.
The two supported each other and cautiously approached from their hiding spot, only to see the bodies of the four-person group lying on the ground, along with some scattered equipment.
"Katniss, there's a bow and arrow left behind."
"Don't rush, the Vanthia Ghost isn't dead yet. Perhaps she's hiding nearby, and those weapons are bait."
Hearing this, Peeta suppressed his impulse, and the two continued to hide, not showing themselves.
This situation continued until evening. Feeling truly safe and their stomachs rumbling, the two finally emerged.
"Katniss, here are the weapons for you. Now you have a bow and arrow, huh? How come there's only a bow, where are the arrows?"
"Watch out!"
Katniss suddenly tackled Peeta, narrowly dodging a Nepalese kukri knife that flew at them.
"Bait!" Peeta said with a twitching expression, mocking himself.
"Don't worry, she's also injured. Look at her waist."
The camera zoomed in on Little Liu, showing a long scar on her waist where her clothes were torn. Although it had been roughly treated, blood was still slowly seeping through.
"I'll hold her off, you attack from behind. Let's go all out!"
Peeta roared and charged forward. Due to years of labor, his advantage was his strength. If he could land a single blow, he was sure this Indian girl wouldn't get up.
But he clearly overestimated himself. Facing the Vanthia Ghost, who had maximum points in strength, speed, and agility, he was suppressed as soon as they engaged.
Even with both of them together, they were still no match. Now they finally understood how the four-person group had died. This person definitely hid her strength during the testing phase; she shouldn't have gotten 10 points, it should have been a perfect score.
Just as the two were about to be cut down, a hornet's nest suddenly fell from the sky.
Vanthia instinctively chopped it apart with a knife, and swarms of poisonous hornets poured out, stinging all three of them, leaving them covered in wounds and scattering them.
Peeta frantically jumped into the water, while Katniss was rescued by the youngest contestant, a little girl named Rue.
She had been hiding in the surrounding trees the whole time, and the hornet's nest was what she had thrown.
This character was played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Although the little girl was only 7 years old, she had already debuted last year and was adorably cute.
The subsequent plot largely followed the original film. Rue helped Katniss find the bow and arrows Vanthia had left behind, taught her how to identify poisonous berries, and ultimately sacrificed herself to protect her.
The death of a little girl was starkly displayed on the big screen.
There's a common misconception circulating online that Hollywood films cannot show children or pets dying.
That's complete nonsense!
The only reason such scenes might not appear is to pass censorship and achieve a lower rating, in order to earn more at the box office.
But as long as one has strong connections, or is specifically aiming for an R-rating, there are plenty of films that kill children and pets.
Although the hunger games contained such a scene, it wasn't bloody, earning it a PG-13 rating, allowing children aged 13 and above to watch it independently.
Rue's death marked Katniss's complete awakening. She made the classic gesture symbolizing rebellion and took up weapons to avenge the little girl.
She attacked and trapped four contestants in a row, fully demonstrating her strength and ferocity.
At the same time, it was precisely because of Rue's death that the people of the other 12 districts became enraged. Even District 11, to which Rue belonged, and the Capitol's soldiers erupted in fierce conflict.
Hope could exist, but only as a spark, not a raging inferno.
Seeing the situation change, the organizers decided to divert attention, planning to market the tragic romantic relationship between the male and female protagonists to grab eyeballs.
No matter the era or moment, gossip always dominates headlines; this fact has been proven many times.
So the organizers deliberately orchestrated the reunion of Katniss and Peeta, and for the first time, changed the rules.
The winner was changed from one person to two, as long as they came from the same district.
To help them clear obstacles, they even began to constantly micro-manage, forcing the strongest hunter, the Vanthia Ghost.
Wildfires, torrential rains, fierce beasts, lightning—all sorts of methods were deployed, more than Katniss encountered, but they still failed to kill Vanthia.
As the game reached its final moments, only three people remained in the arena. The male and female protagonists, two against one, still held no advantage against the exhausted Vanthia Ghost, and once again fought to a mutual defeat.
Although this character appeared for only about ten minutes in total, her formidable combat power was vividly demonstrated.
At this point, all three were injured. Vanthia once again initiated a chase, trailing behind the two, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
The chase game lasted for a day and a night, and all three were utterly exhausted.
Finally, Katniss had a flash of inspiration, remembering what Rue had taught her about which fruits were edible and which were poisonous, so she deliberately picked some to set a trap.
The camera had previously shown that the Vanthia Ghost couldn't distinguish between strawberry jam and blueberry jam; she was completely ignorant of such knowledge.
Seeing the male and female protagonists pick and eat them, she also ate them without hesitation to replenish her strength, resulting in her being poisoned.
After realizing something was wrong, her life entered a countdown, with only 1 minute left.
The Vanthia Ghost charged forward like a madwoman, intending to take the male and female protagonists down with her, and the final desperate fight began.
But after all, she only had 1 minute. After severely injuring both of them, she herself was shot through the heart by an arrow from Katniss.
As the plot reached this point, the audience finally breathed a sigh of relief, their anxious hearts finally settling.
But they also couldn't help but exclaim that this was truly a demon-king-level boss.
Throughout the entire film, the Vanthia Ghost didn't have a single line of dialogue. At most, she would nod during interviews, with the host speaking for her.
Yet, beneath her slender and delicate appearance hid the fiercest and most terrifying combat power.
Her cold-blooded and brutal killing skills formed a stark contrast with her appearance. This character was destined to leave an indelible impression on many viewers, and countless people would remember the actress Crystal Liu.
The later plot was largely similar to the original, with Katniss and Peeta forcing the organizers to let them live.
The flames symbolizing resistance began to subtly burn in all 12 districts.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Amidst the grand and poignant music, the film concluded, the lights came back on, and the audience applauded.
The creators walked onto the stage to express their gratitude. When Little Liu came on stage, the cheers immediately rose by several decibels.
When Chloe Grace Moretz came on stage, there was another burst of 'auntie smiles.' The rosy-cheeked little girl was truly adorable, and the character Rue was overly endearing.
After answering some questions, the microphone was handed to Eric. Although he wasn't involved in the production, he was the executive producer and co-screenwriter.
"Mr. Cooper, was the inspiration for the hunger games derived from the Japanese film battle royale?"
Eric frowned. Upon closer inspection, it was a reporter from The Independent.
Damn it, how did these trash get in here!
If he slipped up even one word, he was certain that tomorrow the words "plagiarism" would be trending, becoming an inescapable label for the hunger games.
"You mentioned battle royale, that's a very good film, and I have indeed seen it, but there was never any plagiarism."
"But the competition format of both films is almost identical. Did you not draw any inspiration?"
Eric sneered: "Inspiration? If we're talking about inspiration, then I can explain it to you properly. Have you seen battle royale?"
"Of course I have."
"Then what is the name of the act in it?"
"The BR Act." The paparazzi answered without hesitation.
"Then do you know that the BR Act itself is an inspiration, inspired by WWE wrestling?"
"In WWE, there is a BR rule where a group of wrestlers enter the same ring, and the last one standing wins. Answer me, does battle royale plagiarize WWE?"
"Uh…" The paparazzi was speechless.
"What? Can't answer? Then why don't we delve deeper into what the battle royale mode is? Have you read Lord of the Flies?"
"Alright, by your expression, I know you haven't. It's a literary work by William Golding, a Nobel laureate in literature. Haven't heard of him either?"
"Then I suggest you go back and read it thoroughly. This novel from 1954 is the earliest traceable literary work of the battle royale mode."
"If you don't like reading, it was adapted into a film in 1963 and remade in 1990. I'm providing you with two avenues."
"Of course, if you can't accept works that are too literary, you can also watch the 1987 action film The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger."
"Now answer me, do you think battle royale plagiarized these works?"
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Gadot was the first to applaud, and Little Liu and the others quickly followed. They loved seeing Eric rebut people; he was so handsome!
"Actually, the hunger games is less a battle royale film and more a political thriller."
"Everyone should be able to see that the core of the film is not to highlight the killing among young people, but to show something deeper."
"Due to time constraints, the first film can only show the surface of this world. In the sequels, more mysteries will be revealed, and greater conflicts will erupt."
"I hope everyone can support this film; it took the sweat and effort of thousands of people."
After the premiere, Eric really wanted to take Gadot and Little Liu home together, but he held back the words; the time was not yet right.
It was already past midnight when he got home, just as the Olsen sisters arrived one after another.
"What were you all doing out so late?"
"We went to see harry potter to gather some intelligence for you," Elizabeth said.
"I think you just wanted to see it yourself."
"Hehe, a bit of both, Gadot, you won't mind, will you?"
Gadot smiled: "Watch whatever you like, what's a few tickets? How was the movie? Was it good?"
Elizabeth's expression was hesitant: "I don't know how to describe it? It doesn't seem like the harry potter I'm familiar with anymore."
"The film's plot is actually very good, and it's shot very excitingly, but the style has undergone a huge change compared to before, becoming very dark."
"I've seen Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; they were fast-paced and fun. But prisoner of azkaban isn't like that."
"It feels completely disconnected from before. Some scenes might even make younger children uncomfortable."
Gadot was a bit confused by her contradictory description.
"So, is it good or not good?"
"The plot is very good, but I don't think the box office will be very good, especially since it's not very friendly to child audiences."
Ashley and Mary shrugged: "That's our feeling too. It's good news for the hunger games."
Eric knew that Little Elizabeth's feeling was completely correct.
In terms of critical acclaim, prisoner of azkaban ranks among the top three in the harry potter series, and could even contend for the top spot.
But in terms of box office, it's the lowest-grossing in the series, precisely because of the drastic change in style, which became somewhat Gothic.
However, even as the lowest-grossing in the series, it still took in nearly $800 million at the box office back then, while the hunger games made $700 million, and there's also a time difference.
But let's not forget that prisoner of azkaban was released during the summer blockbuster season, while the hunger games is in the less popular March slot.
The importance of release dates for films needs no elaboration, not to mention that Eric's version is more meticulously produced.
This battle will be a tough one.