"There's 24 of us Gale, only one comes out."
Panem is comprised of 12 districts. Seventy-five years ago the districts rebelled, but the rebellion was crushed by the Capitol. "And so it was decreed that each year the twelve districts of Panem shall offer up in tribute one young man and woman between the ages of twelve and eighteen to be trained in the art of survival and be prepared to fight to the death" in a televised event called the Hunger Games.
District 12 is the poorest district, with most people starving. Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) is a skilled archer and goes hunting everyday with her friend Gale (Hemsworth) to bring home food for their families. On the day of the reaping, all the teens get dressed up to await their fate. At the reaping, Katniss' sister Prim (Shields) is selected, and Katniss volunteers to take her sisters place. Soon Katniss and the other District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), are headed to the Capitol with their mentor Haymitch (Harrelson), the only winner from their district, and their Capitol liason Effie (Banks) to begin training. Can Katniss make an impression and survive against the other 23 tributes?
In 2008 Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games about a future society that glorifies pitting teens against each other in a death match. The book, and subsequent sequels became bestsellers, and made Hollywood take notice. The books are well written and addictive (I read all three in a week). I loved the books, and was nervous about a Hollywood version. Typically, movie adaptations pale in comparison to the book (the best exception is The Lord of the Rings films, but they are over 3 hours long...), so I did not have high expectations. Despite my reservations, I was intrigued enough to convince my roommate to see the midnight showing on March 23. The movie was good, but the books are better.
The film sticks pretty close to the source material, condensing a few characters and plot lines for time issues. Most of these changes are minor and do not affect the story. However, there are major changes that do change the story: the Mockingjay Pin is given a new setup / meaning. The violence of the Games is shown, but is toned down to achieve a PG-13 rating. The kills are still brutal and shocking, but not all are shown (which was a smart choice).
The worst part of the film is the camera work. Many scenes, especially during the games, are shaky... and draw you out of the film (my roommate commenting on the shaking camera during the film). Sometimes it works, like when Katniss is running through the woods, but in most cases the shaking camera is unnecessary and completely unacceptable (and annoyed me).
The costumes are interesting: hideous and over the top at the Capitol, and muted and dull in the Districts. And most scenes play up the contrast between the over-excess of the Capitol and the reality of life in the Districts. The casting is excellent. Woody Harrelson is the obvious choice for Haymitch, and as usual he brings an incredible energy to the character... whether he's drunk or planning, he has the best lines. Stanley Tucci, like Harrelson, has the ability to play a large range of characters, and is perfectly cast as the Games announcer / host Caesar Flickerman. He is an extreme, but still has quiet moments of realization that soften the character. Elizabeth Banks lobbied to play Effie, her favorite character in the books, and does justice to the character, who skates the line between annoying and endearing. She is oblivious to the gravity of the situation, but truly cares for her tributes. This is rocker Lenny Cravitz's first film, and while he may not be the first actor you picture for the roll of Cinna, you can't really see anyone else in the roll.
Jennifer Lawrence proved she could be a tough, mountain hunter in The Winters Bone, and brings the same intensity to Katniss. Josh Hutcherson's Peeta is a toned down version of the book's Peeta. He is more cookie cutter, without any dark side, but it works. Liam Hemsworth doesn't get to do much in the film, besides look annoyed or disappointed, but hopefully he will still be a good choice when the character is more involved in the subsequent films.
At this point they have not announced plans to adapt the other 2 books in the series, if this film is a success the other 2 will be made. Based on the numbers for the opening day, the sequels will be made. If you can get past the shaky cameras and changes to the novel, check out the film. But first, read the books... you won't be disappointed!
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
The Hunger Games (2012) 142 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
Lenny Cravitz as Cinna
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow
Willow Shields as Primrose "Prim" Everdeen
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