Hungry for the Hunger Games
The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, was released in theatres on March 23 and was one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, beating even the records for the Twilight movies. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a post-apocalyptic world where nothing but a capitol and surrounding districts exist. The capitol, Panem, is full of the wealthy and privileged citizens while the surrounding regions are poverty ridden and the citizens work like slaves. Every year, Panem hosts the Hunger Games, where two children from each district are conscripted and forced to participate in a brutal fight to the death where the last one alive receives a fortune and food for their district, a situation akin to that of the Roman gladiators. The gladiators too were rounded up from the lower class and fought to the death in arenas, a plan referred to as “bread and games,” or “panem et circenses” in Latin. The games were meant to appease the ignorant masses and win support for the government, which was the same tactic the government of Panem employed.
When Katniss’ younger sister is chosen as one of the contenders, Katniss volunteers in her place and soon finds herself on the way to Panem with the second competitor from her district, Peeta Mellark. Katniss is unsure of what to think of Peeta, harboring mixed emotions towards him. He once saved her family from starving at his own expense, but if she is to return home, he must die. Her feelings are further conflicted when Peeta admits in an interview that he has loved Katniss since he first saw her. Once in the arena, Katniss must struggle with her feelings towards Peeta, the memories of her past, and the challenge of staying alive.
With the screenplay written by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, the movie stuck closely to the plot in the book, and was well-executed by director Gary Ross, playing out in a way so that viewers with no background knowledge of the story could understand what was happening. The director made the film more striking by occasionally showing us what the character was seeing and hearing, such as a ringing in their ears or a distorted scene during a hallucination, and sometimes filming a part unsteadily to eliminate the polish that would have made it seem less real. The soundtrack of the movie also added to the overall effect, with the absence of music in serious scenes supplementing the gravity and dynamic music enhancing the suspenseful or action-packed parts.
The actors played their parts phenomenally; Lawrence showed the same courage, resourcefulness, and raw emotion Katniss displays throughout the book, and Elizabeth Banks was every bit the oblivious, colorful character Effie Trinket was in print, from the affected accent to the fuschia tinted hair. Hutcherson embodied Peeta’s character, exhibiting the same kindness and steadiness that makes Peeta so likeable and the citizens of Panem certainly lived up to expectations with their wild body decorations, make-up and clothes.
The Hunger Games far exceeded my own expectations, and I would highly recommend this movie to people of all ages. If you are looking for a couple of hours of action, drama and suspense, The Hunger Games is for you.
