Review: The Hunger Games (2012)
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Director: Gary Ross
Country: USA
Genre: Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Official Trailer: Here
Editor’s Note: The Hunger Games opens wide March 23rd. The World Will Be Watching. B & N coupons are possibly available for the book series.
Young adult fiction is the hottest commodity in the studio filmmaking market right now, especially books written about and for young women. With the huge financial success of the Twilight films, it’s no wonder Lionsgate wanted their own piece of the pie, and so they chose to bring forth an adaptation of The Hunger Games, the first of a trilogy of novels that chronicles lethal gladiatorial games set in a dystopian future. The difference between the two franchises couldn’t be more stark and clear, though. While one pushes dangerous messages for young girls with a protagonist who defines herself solely based on the abusive boyfriends she has, The Hunger Games features the strongest, most well-developed female lead in a tentpole film in God knows how long, brought to life in a star-making performance from Jennifer Lawrence.
The concept alone is disturbing enough, but the performances, smart script, and stylish direction make it truly terrifying.
Set in the distant future where North America has been ravaged by civil and nuclear war, the film introduces us to District 12, the home of Katniss Everdeen and her family. A coal mining town, they are both destitute and starving, despite having some access to food from the government. Each year, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are chosen at random to represent their home in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial contest between 24 teenagers who are thrown out into the wilderness with only melee weapons and survival skills at their disposal, and only one can emerge alive and victorious. The games are in place to keep the non-Capitol districts in check, and it appears to be working. That is, until Katniss volunteers in order to spare her little sister from having to compete. Her bravery is noted throughout the world, and she becomes something of an icon, “The Girl on Fire”, a symbol of courage and hope for her people.
What follows is a grim, exhilarating, and violent chronicle of her time in preparation and in the game itself. Let it never be said that this isn’t the most violent and grim PG-13 studio film I’ve seen since at least The Dark Knight, if not more so. The concept alone is disturbing enough, but the performances, smart script, and stylish direction make it truly terrifying. Katniss is doing this to protect her sister, but some of the kids drafted for the games have been trained to kill since birth, turning them into monsters. We’re never once told it will all be all right. The stakes here are very real and very deadly, and it’s a miracle the film is able to sustain that tension, despite knowledge that obviously there are two sequels with Katniss yet to come. A film like this could easily have any and all drama sucked out of it with that kind of foresight, but it maintains the suspension of disbelief remarkably.
Front and center of the film is Jennifer Lawrence, who is nothing short of a revelation here. It’s clear that she drew on her Oscar-nominated performance in Winter’s Bone, taking it a step further here to create a layered, nuanced, lived-in portrayal.
Front and center of the film is Jennifer Lawrence, who is nothing short of a revelation here. It’s clear that she drew on her Oscar-nominated performance in Winter’s Bone, taking it a step further here to create a layered, nuanced, lived-in portrayal. I’d even go so far as to say this is career-best work from her. The psychological, physical, and emotional toll the games take on her is evident in every aspect of the performance, never once delving into histrionics or melodrama. It’s very real and very visceral work from an actress who deserves every bit of attention she’s getting these days, and with good reason.
Stylistically, the film succeeds nearly on every level. The cinematography captures the tension and urgency of the film quite well, though at times the shaky-cam style gets a little overboard, particularly in the first twenty minutes or so while we’re in District 12. Once it settles into a nice groove, however, it works perfectly, if not specifically to help offset the violent content with out of frame carnage and quick editing in the action sequences. A few other things stick out as odd. For example, if the districts are all starving, why does everyone in them look relatively well fed? From what I understood, food is available to those who ask, but children who take food offered by the government have their names placed in the Hunger Games hat more times for each instance of food taken. Still, everyone looks pretty good for having to survive on minimal amounts.
Nitpicks aside, The Hunger Games is an incredibly rewarding experience. Thought provoking, emotional, and exhilarating, it’s a smart sci-fi film that doesn’t pander to the audience, grabbing them by the throat and never letting go. That’s a rarity these days, and even better still that it comes with the best female lead in a studio film perhaps since Aliens and T2.
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