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The Hunger Games Movie Review

Elliott MillerApr 7, 2012

Title: The Hunger Games

Studio: Lionsgate

Released: 2012

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action

Starring:

Jennifer Lawrence – Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson – Peeta Mellark
Liam Hemsworth – Gale Hawthorne
Woody Harrelson – Haymitch Abernathy
Donald Sutherland – President Snow
Stanley Tucci – Caesar Flickerman
Wes Bentley – Seneca Crane
Lenny Kravitz – Cinna

When I first heard some of the hype about The Hunger Games, I decided to read the books to keep myself in the know. I found the whole story disturbing but engaging. A future Earth, after most of humanity had been destroyed in some sort of apocalypse. The survivors in North America built 13 cities, or Districts, plus the Capitol. Each of the Districts sends their produce to the Capitol in exchange for protection and a stable government.

Seventy-four years ago, one of the Districts rebelled, District 13. They were crushed by the might of the Capitol, wiped from the face of the earth. As a reminder of their treachery, and to remind everyone who is the boss, the Capitol forces each District to send one male and one female child between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Capitol each year to participate in the Hunger Games.

In these games, the children are forced to battle to the death in an outdoor arena that is kilometers wide. The children must fight the elements, fight hunger and thirst, fight against the perils the Game Makers throw into the arena, and fight each other. There can be only one winner to the Hunger Games.

The games are highly publicized and televised. It is equivalent to the Superbowl, only possibly more so. The people in the districts don’t like it, but they watch their children fight and die each year, because they know the penalty for protest: death.

I found the book a great read. So like many others I went to the film with great expectations to see it brought to the big screen, and prepared to be angry with what they left out.

I found the movie very true to the story, and really enjoyed it. This is a good movie. Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss (the heroine) superbly. The one thing I missed was the internal dialog that let you see deep into her character in the book. When reading the book, you know you are looking into the thoughts of a 16 year old girl. Watching the movie, you don’t get to hear what is going on in her head, so Katniss comes off much more mature and bad ass.

For example, in the book she spends several days searching for water, and only discovers it by pure luck shortly before she succumbs to dehydration. In the movie she easily overcomes these hurdles, and comes off more as a Bear Grylls survivalist than just an unsure teenager. However, right before Katniss must climb into the tube to be placed in the arena for battle, she stares into Cinna’s (Lenny Kravitz) eyes and begins to shake, ever so slightly. She was scared and right at that moment I could feel it too. My thoughts flashed back to times when I was very afraid and I knew that deep down she was just a scared kid. Excellent. Jennifer Lawrence pulled me in then and didn’t let go.

You won’t spend a lot of time looking at the dismal lives of those living in District 12, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) really has hardly any screen time at all. Only some flashes back to the district to show him scowling at the television as Katniss and Peeta comfort each other gives a hint about the love triangle that develops around the trio.

I was impressed at how director Gary Ross manages to get in little flashes of important information, so that we get some of that insight we would otherwise miss unless we read the book. You see the flashback when Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) throws a starving Katniss a hunk of bread when they were younger. You don’t know that Katniss was at the end of her rope and had given up, and Peeta in effect saved the lives of her whole family with that hunk of bread, but at least you get this one insight. You also get a brief look at the death of Katniss father, and her mother’s withdrawal into catatonia afterwards, also an important look into what went into forming Katniss’ character.

Some things are left to the audience to figure out for themselves though, if they want to. I like when a director doesn’t assume that the viewers are all idiots, and has to explain everything. Katniss misses the first shot with her bow during her interview. If you read the book you know that it is because she has never shot with such a well made bow before, and she needs to adjust. On screen you have to figure this out for yourself. It isn’t a drastic leap, all the clues are there to figure it out if you think about it. Another example, you are left wondering why Peeta joins the gang of professionally trained killer kids to help them find Katniss. You know why if you read the book, but the movie leaves this up to you.

To flip the coin around, there is a benefit to being outside of the first person view too. In the book we knew everything that was going on in Katniss head, but we were trapped in there as well. The movie does not have this limitation, so we get to see Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) making deals with sponsors, and with the Head Game Maker himself, to help Katniss get what she needs to survive. We get to see how the Game Makers track the Tributes, and keep them on course, and how they relish creating new obstacles to kill off these children. You do not get this perspective in the book, because Katniss isn’t there.

You get a great couple of scenes with President Snow (Donald Sutherland), and some insight into his character that you do not get in the first book. You even get to see him pruning white roses in his garden, something that fans of the books will take interest in.

Woody Harrelson put in an excellent performance as Haymitch, the mentor of Katniss and Peeta. Truthfully, I wasn’t that attached to the Haymitch of the book, but Harrelson comes across as someone who cares, despite being a drunk, and I really grew to like him. In the book Haymitch was basically a drunk who occasionally helped if he felt like it and could stay sober long enough.

Peeta didn’t come across as charismatic as I pictured him in the books. Possibly this is because I’ve already read all three, and maybe he just needs a little more time to develop. Hutcherson did a decent job, I just expected a little more. Lenny Kravitz was great as Cinna. He gets less screen time than most, and yet you come away liking him a lot, despite his gold eyeliner.

The social commentary is there as well. In the books it was much more prevalent, but it was much easier to separate their world from ours. It leaves you thinking “Wow, I hope we don’t end up like that!”, but the movie is more subdued. The commentary is more subtle, but it plays in the back of your mind. You come out feeling that this is something that is a very real possibility, and that there are many signs that we are well on our way to evolving into this society of have and have nots right now. The scene of the revolt in District 11 in the movie could easily have been pulled from a television newscast during the 1960’s in America. It hits uncomfortably close to home, and you leave the movie a bit unsettled.

One special note I want to mention. There are two scenes where you get to see Peeta use his artistry skills in creating camouflage on himself that will make your eyes pop. The makeup is just that good. My wife and I whispered to each other “Wow, wasn’t that amazing?” both times it happened. Kudos to the makeup and special effects artists that did that work. This had to be a difficult movie to develop makeup for. In the books the citizens of the Capitol are outlandishly garbed, even having physical alterations to keep up with the styles of the day. In recreating this for the movie it had to be difficult to achieve this look without having everyone simply look ridiculous, but they pulled it off.

The action is a big part of the story too. Kids are killing kids. The blood is kept to a minimum, and you really don’t get a pure violence fest due to the hand held cam shots that keep most of the deaths to just a flash on the screen. The deaths are there though, so I advise keeping the younger children away. There is violence and at least one scene where an older boy twists the head of a younger boy around, snapping his neck and killing him.

The story, the acting, and the direction bring this movie together beautifully though. The violence never overwhelms the story, the acting makes you care about the characters, and the direction keeps it flowing. It felt a little slow in spots, but not enough to get me looking at my watch. If you liked the books, you will like the movie. If you have not read the books, you will probably want to go read them after seeing the movie. It is good, the best I have seen so far this year.