The Hunger Games - Review

A brief little moment to address something: This review will not be a snarky compare and contrast session for THE HUNGER GAMES and its original book against the numerous other science fiction films featuring televised human sporting events as the main attraction. This goes double for BATTLE ROYALE, Koushun Takami's novel and its great adaptation by legendary Japanese director Kinji Fukusaku, which has prompted numerous detractions for the similar ideas and conflict beats that THE HUNGER GAMES coincidentally (?) has as well. I wanted to face and address it on its own terms, both for its faithfulness to the source material and its overall design as the next big thing for cinema.


Well, its good that the film corresponds with its main character's hunting style and easily shoots an arrow through the eye of the book. It comes out being a clean kill, not much blood beyond a few droplets, and becomes more valuable as a product. THE HUNGER GAMES film is far better than its literature confines, losing some of its young adult limitations in order to be an effective display of blockbuster entertainment amidst human misery. Play the odds, believe in the hype.


In a post-apocalypse world, described in the book as the remnants of America, the balance between order and chaos among twelve districts is tightly controlled by the overseeing Capitol. After a brief uprising is suppressed, the Capitol imposes a strict punishment in the form of an annual television event, The Hunger Games. Two pre to late teenagers from every district are randomly picked to compete against each other in a battle to the death to bring "pride" to their own masses and economic growth to the privileged. In District 12, a baker's son named Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a 12-year old named Primrose (Willow Shields) are selected, until the later's older sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) makes the bold decision to volunteer in her place. The new duo are then sent with their guardians/personal entourage to the Capitol, to be artfully and entertainingly presentable amongst the rich before blood ruins their new hair style.


Director Gary Ross is well and far enabled to handle crafting the differences in tonal styles, from the decaying filth of the districts, to the sleek pomp and circumstance of the Capitol, to the treacherous, unforgivable forests of the battle grounds. What would you expect from the man who made PLEASANTVILLE? It seemed that he enjoyed doing the sequences at the Capitol the most, as the artificial nature of everything is flooded with rich material. The most striking aspect is how it greatly underlines one of the book's major storylines, that this barbaric and vicious elimination match is nothing more than a heavily produced reality show, with the contestants and their handlers having control over their own story arcs and character motivations as much as the ones running the show. Everything needs to be a spectacle before the games, where the contestants' own fashion stylist are treated as rock stars, with District 12's being played by actual rock singer Lenny Kravitz, and anything can be pulled off, from a star-crossed lovers routine even to shooting an arrow toward the show's producers, in order to make the odds ever in their favor.


That is not to say that the film falls apart once the battle commences. The overlong climax is always often thrilling to behold, keeping the adrenaline pumping for the next danger lurking behind the trees or in the sounds of the air. Ross and his fellow screenwriters, including the book's author Suzanne Collins, streamline the proceedings as much as they can, removing some of the finer details and the tedious eating and walking sequences that often bogged down the action. Though the film is often just following Katniss' viewpoint as in the book, the creators also choose to feature what's happening behind the curtain, as the producers marvel at what's on their screens before creating new variable disasters to the battlefield. Probably my most favorite inclusion is having the television commentators interject as exposition dumpers when the need arises. If the television station's name is KPLOT, all the more better.


The absolute best feature the film has beyond the direction, not to mention the excellent sound mixing team, is the ensemble cast. Every actor truly gets to shine, even before their brief but inevitable demise. It's no surprise that Jennifer Lawrence once again dominates overall, as she makes another lasting statement why she is a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Not only is she the perfect choice for Katniss, she makes the character both more likable and ruthless than her book counterpart, who is a complex person but largely handcuffed for female baiting material. Josh Hutcherson will be the most underrated coming from this, as he does grasp his character Peeta's hopelessness to win but immense to strength to fight it out nonetheless. Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and Stanley Tucci each get to have their great little moments, particularly Tucci who can easily grasp being a slimy Phil Donahue figure wearing a ugly blue wig. I also need to note Amandla Stenberg, who plays the diminutive but resourceful Rue. I have seen her before in the dreck-fest COLOMBIANA, where she was one of the only standouts. Here, she again does well, making her character more unique to watch beyond simply being an angelic little figure.


Though the script loses several brakes in the book's narrative, such as the all-encompassing unimportance of the character Gale, it does strip some of the book's juicer moments. A last-minute shocker is not brought up and a sequence where Katniss suffers hallucinations is just a stuttering mess instead of being a colorful surreal nightmare. The cinematography is often striking, bordering on being Malick-esque, but the jittering shakey-cam effect during fights and even strangely a montage through District 12 is sickening. That's not to say that the harsh violence is severely lacking, especially since it is still pretty brutal for a PG-13 rating, but except for the initial all-out fight at a convenient supply depot, the BOURNE IDENTITY camerawork needs to go. Despite these problems, however, THE HUNGER GAMES is a fantastic genre film for all to embark on for two and half hours.



FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5