Ross, G. (Director). (2012). The hunger games.
[Theater].
Visually appealing and with a soundtrack already
playing on ipods around the country, The
Hunger Games successfully moves from the page to the screen. The film faithfully recounts the story of
Katniss Everdeen, a teenaged tribute from District 12, who steps forward to
participate in The Hunger Games to protect her sister Prim, chosen in the
Capitol-mandated lottery.
The
film’s lush portrayal of Katniss’ home district in the opening scenes gives
life to author Suzanne Collins’ descriptions of an Appalachian setting. The forest and wild areas outside District 12’s
legal boundaries teem with abundance and dense green foliage; they are life
sustaining. Contrasted against the bleak
and filthy town in which the Everdeen family ekes out a meager subsistence, the
total control and power of the Capitol is revealed: the land that might allow Katniss to rise
above her circumstances is forbidden to her.
Despite this ban and the risk of being caught and punished, she and her
friend Gale hunt the forest and trade their bounty for food and other goods.
As
in the novel, the film depicts a future North America, now called Panem, in
which a devastating Civil War has resulted in deeply controlled Districts, brutally
suppressed by the Capitol. While those
residing in the Capitol live in a near Utopia, the losers in a war waged 70+
years before continue to bear the agonies of the defeated. Not only are they raped of their natural
resources, once a year, their children are stripped from them as well to
participate in a televised fight to the death.
The Hunger Games exist to remind the Districts of the Capitol’s complete
power and for the entertainment of the victors.
Because
the nature of film tends to condense some of the background or peripheral material,
readers of the novel may wonder where certain characters are or why details of
the story are changed. For example, the
mayor of District 12 and his daughter have been eliminated in the film, which
then entails a change about how Katniss gets the mockingjay pin that will
become her emblem and a symbol for the oppressed. Despite these and other changes, the essence
of the novel remains in the movie.
Readers of the book will see Katniss and Peeta’s introductory flaming costumes,
fashioned by Cinna, brought to life. The
Capitol itself and the hoopla surrounding The Games is cleverly portrayed and
realized. Video game enthusiasts will
delight (and perhaps be horrified) at the depiction of the Game Room, where the
weather, wild creatures, obstacles and other mayhem are manipulated to create
the most conflict and drama for the viewing pleasure of the masses.
Just
as Gregory Peck is synonymous with Atticus Finch and Daniel Radcliffe with
Harry Potter, most readers will now forever associate Jennifer Lawrence with
Katniss. The actress is very believable
as the reluctant heroine and skilled archer.
Lawrence and her co-star, Josh Hutcherson, cast as District 12’s male
tribute, Peeta Mellark, work together to survive The Hunger Games. Although the pair is triumphant in surviving,
the film ends in the same manner as the novel—the Capitol, especially President
Snow, is angered by Katniss’ appeal and potential influence of the people. The Hunger Games are not over.
The
theater was packed with teens and younger children when I went to view The Hunger Games. Most teens were in groups; from the conversation
around me it seemed that both males and females had read the book and were
excited to see their visions realized.
The film is rated PG-13 for intense violence involving teens and for
disturbing images. There is a lot of
death and one-on-one attack in the film.
Many children today experience violence on a personal level; however, I
still would not recommend this film for younger viewers. The camera work is up close and personal, the
snap of a neck is audible, the blood pooling around the dead is vivid. The Games should shock and disgust. Without the proper perspective, some movie
goers will see the film as just another “guts and gore” venue, another scenario
that deadens our response to violence.
The Capitol would be pleased if that happens.
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