Rated
PG-13 (Intense Violent Thematic Material and Disturbing Images—All Involving Teens)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 22 Minutes
Cast-
Jennifer
Lawrence-Katniss Everdeen
Josh
Hutcherson-Peeta Mellark
Liam
Hemsworth-Gale Hawthorne
Willow
Shields-Primrose Everdeen
Elizabeth
Banks-Effie Trinket
Woody
Harrelson-Haymitch Abernathy
Lenny
Kravitz-Cinna
Wes
Bentley-Seneca Crane
Stanley
Tucci-Caesar Flickerman
Toby
Jones-Claudius Templesmith
Donald
Sutherland-President Coriolanus Snow
Alexander
Ludwig-Cato
Isabelle
Fuhrman-Clove
Leven
Rambin-Glimmer
Amandla
Stenberg-Rue
Dayo
Okeniyi-Thresh
Jack
Quaid-Marvel
Jacqueline
Emerson-Foxface
Directed
by Gary Ross
 |
| Katniss Everdeen, a heroine for the 21st century. |
The
turn of the twenty-first century saw reality television explode in popularity
thanks to the early successes of “Survivor” and “Big Brother,” sparking a
worldwide phenomenon that is now worth billions of dollars in advertising
revenue. However, the ‘reality’ presented in these shows is nothing but a
misnomer, an excuse for network executives and producers to create sensationalistic
and often scripted events in order to attract viewers and drive up ratings.
Shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “Jersey Shore” create instant
celebrities overnight but it appears that the bubble is about to burst as audiences
grow tired of having so many programs competing for their attention. Still,
millions of people around the world continue to tune in, which begs the
question—why? What makes these shows
so compelling even if the audience is keenly aware that what they are watching
is not reality? Like the brutal gladiatorial battles of the Coliseum in Ancient
Rome, society has always derived a certain perverse pleasure in watching others
suffer or humiliate themselves for the entertainment of the masses. This forms
the basic premise for the film “The Hunger Games,” based upon the popular 2008
dystopian science fiction novel of the same name from author Suzanne Collins. Director
Gary Ross’ adaptation has been heavily anticipated by fans of the novel, with opening
weekend tickets selling out like hot cakes while LionsGate looked to fill the
void left behind by the “Harry Potter” films and soon “Twilight.” The only
question that remains is whether it delivers upon the hype and despite a few
hiccups in condensing a 384 page novel, “The Hunger Games” succeeds as not just
an enthralling story of survival but also as a parable on the use of violent
entertainment to keep the masses docile and under control. Fans should come
away satisfied and newcomers will be encouraged to seek out the books.
Following
the destruction of North America due to an unspecified catastrophic event in
the far future, the totalitarian nation of Panem—divided into thirteen
districts under the regime of the Capital—rose
from the ashes. However, District 13 rebelled against the Capital and was subsequently
destroyed. As punishment for this insurrection, the Capital forced the
remaining districts to participate in an annual event dubbed the Hunger Games where a boy and a girl
ranging from ages 12 to 18 are selected by lottery to fight to the death in an undisclosed
arena. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in District
12 with her younger sister Primrose (Willow Shields) and widowed mother in a
slum known as the Seam. Katniss often sneaks outside the district with her best
friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) to hunt for game and sell it for food.
On the day of the reaping, all the
children in the district are gathered to a large town square where one boy and
girl will be randomly chosen by lottery as tributes for the 74th annual Hunger
Games. A shrill, gaudily dressed woman named Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks)
announces the first tribute to be Primrose Everdeen. To protect her younger
sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark
(Josh Hutcherson), the son of a local baker who once gave Katniss food when she
was starving in the rain. After saying their final good-byes to their
respective families, the two are brought to the Capital where they will be
trained by Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), a former winner of the Hunger
Games from District 12. Also on hand to lend advice and moral support is the
flamboyant Effie and sympathetic stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz). Katniss becomes
an early favorite thanks to her bold showmanship and skill with a bow, much to
the delight of the viewers and Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), the organizer for
the Hunger Games. To get the audience on their side, Haymitch establishes
Katniss and Peeta as ‘star-crossed lovers’ but the situation becomes
complicated when genuine feelings begin to develop between them.
Let me just
say that I have read the novel; in
fact I was so adamant on reading the book first that I refrained from seeing
the film on opening weekend. Normally I shy away from young adult fiction but Suzanne
Collins really does an excellent job at drawing you into this post-apocalyptic
world thanks to a strong heroine at the center of the story. The question of
whether the novel is better than the film or vice versa is ultimately a null
point because both mediums of story-telling have their own strengths and
weaknesses but having Collins adapt her own book is big plus because it gives a
certain quality control over the film adaptation. The premise of “The Hunger
Games” is not particularly original as Japan’s “Battle Royale” from 2000 is
uncannily similar but the concept stretches as far back to 1987’s “The Running
Man” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1975’s “Death Race 2000,” to even 1982’s
cult classic “Tron.” Science fiction has always been used as a way to present
issues in society and the film functions as an indictment on the pleasure and
thrill people derive from seeing others humiliate themselves as a form of mass
media entertainment. Gary Ross perfectly captures the two extremes that exist
in Panem with the impoverished districts forced to gather resources while the
citizens of the Capital, dressed in gaudy fashion with ridiculous hairstyles, lead
decadent lives where the Hunger Games are used not just as a form of punishment
for rebelling but also as a way to keep the wealthy from focusing on the real issues. This is an allusion to how
the emperors of ancient Rome kept the citizens content and deflected concern
with how he ruled. The colorful clothes that the wealthy wear seem to be
somewhat inspired by 1982’s “Blade Runner.” Dropping the first-person narrative
of the novel, Ross and his writers are able to delve deeper into how the Games
work, which is a welcome addition. The leader of the Capital, President
Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) is shown to be a cunning man and there’s
this great scene where he speaks to Seneca Crane of giving just enough hope to the districts only to crush it again year after
year. The film also creates an unsettling feeling in seeing the tributes dressed
up in costumes and paraded around to the cheers of the audience when they are
essentially lambs being sent to the slaughter.
Adapting a novel to a film can
be tricky business and Ross does occasionally stumble with certain transitions
feeling rushed even though the running time is 2 hours and 22 minutes long. However,
he does smartly externalize Katniss’ inner monologue by having the exposition
delivered through a running commentary like a sports game. Similar attempts can
feel lazy (the news broadcasts in 2007’s “Spider-Man 3”) but here it makes
sense. Certain omissions also leave character motivations vague and the romance
subplot is not handled very well in the context of the film. The other tributes
are simple caricatures that remain underdeveloped but this is also the fault of
the novel as well. To give the film a raw realism, Ross utilizes the ‘shaky
cam’ approach which is effective in the many extreme close-ups he uses but it
also robs the violence of much of its impact due to the need to keep it PG-13.
He does make up for it by focusing on the suspense factor as Katniss fights for
her survival. Finally, the visual effects, though limited, prove to be
underwhelming, especially when the ‘muttations’ show up.
As the film is told
from a third-person narrative, one thing that Ross had to get right was the
casting of Katniss Everdeen and he couldn’t have picked a better actress in
Jennifer Laurence. She not only perfectly captures her character’s strength and
will to survive but also her vulnerability. Her scene where she mourns another
tribute’s death left a lump in my throat. This
is what a strong female protagonist means, not like that other girl from that other teen franchise. Josh Hutcherson
may not have as much screen-time compared to Laurence but he exudes a likable charm
and inherent goodness. Woody
Harrelson makes for a less abrasive Haymitch while Elizabeth Banks and Stanley
Tucci nail the haughty, clueless behavior of the Capital’s wealthy citizenry. Lenny
Kravitz captures the calm sympathy of Cinna and finally there’s Donald
Sutherland, whose role mainly serves as a tease for parts two and three. I also
want to bring attention to Wes Bentley because he is rocking one awesome fire
beard.
“The Hunger Games” was released on March 23, 2012 to largely positive
reviews with 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as ‘thrilling and
superbly acted, [and that it] captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and
ambitious scope of its source novel.’ The production budget was only an
estimated $78 million but the film is already a major financial success with
$152 million on opening weekend and a current worldwide total of $365 million.
Even in its second week, interest remained high compared to new releases “Wrath
of the Titans” and “Mirror Mirror.” LionsGate has mentioned that green-lighting
the sequels will depend on the box office but they’re all but guaranteed. While
the transition from novel-to-film left a few stumbling blocks, “The Hunger
Games” remains a compelling film that is well-acted and suspenseful, even
serving as a cautionary tale on the dangers of complacency through the use of
violent entertainment. Not every fan will be satisfied but that just goes with
the territory. The sequel cannot come soon enough.
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
“Hope—it
is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective…a lot of hope
is dangerous. A spark is fine…as long as it's contained.”
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