Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy of books has more or less swept the nation over the past few years. This dystopian vision of a near future North America, written for young adults, seems custom-made for the big screen, so here we are, less than 4 years after the book was published, with a big budget Hollywood version. At some point in the near yet indeterminate future, the United States and North America as we know it has been shattered by an unnamed cataclysm and in its place has risen a society called "Panem" ("bread", in Latin if my limited Latin knowledge serves me correctly), a society where a wealthy "capitol" rules 12 separate "districts" that roughly correspond to regions of the continent with an iron fist. To commemorate an uprising that took place some 70 years prior, the capital decreed that each of the 12 districts must select a 12-18 year old male and female "tribute" to send to annual "Hunger Games" in a giant arena each year at the Capitol. These 24 tributes then must fight to the death, and the one winner left standing at the conclusion of the games returns home in glory and splendor. The Hunger Games are basically the 4th of July meets March Madness meets The Super Bowl... every second is aired on television and the games are an annual spectacle complete with betting, fan favorites and odds. Katniss Everdeen resides in District 12, an impoverished coal mining region that roughly corresponds to Appalachia. Life is hard in District 12, and Katniss hunts small game in the woods outside of her settlement to supplement her family's income. Her life changes forever when she volunteers to take her sister's place as District 12's female tribute and finds herself whisked away to the Capitol.
So enough about the plot, is it GOOD is what you're wondering.. and the answer, in short, is yes. Of the three books, The Hunger Games is the strongest, and correspondingly, the most ready-made for the screen. In addition, the strength of this particular book is 1.) The Plot and 2.) the world Collins constructs, while the weakness is that she's not a tremendous writer, and that the love story and Katniss' inner monologue can feel a little melodramatic. Well, plot, setting and world are the parts of a book that are easiest to translate to screen. The hardest part? Inner monologue, thoughts, feelings, etc.
None of that would matter if the film didn't have a compelling Katniss. She's the main character and is featured in approx. 98% of the scenes.. through her we, the audience, experience the terror and heartbreak of life in a battle-to-the-death arena. Luckily for us.. one of the best young actresses working, Jennifer Lawrence (if you haven't seen "Winter's Bone".. go and watch it, now) is more than up to the task. Peeta, the other District 12 tribute, is played by Josh Hutcherson, most recognizable from "The Kids are Alright".. and he's strong as well, extremely believable. Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) creates a faithful, believable, great-looking world. For a relatively unproven filmmaker (at least as far as epic sci-fi goes), he does an admirable job in bringing a rather complex story and world to screen.
This is a dystopian tale of oppression and decadence and a look at a believable outcome in our world of consumerism, stylized violence and disparity in wealth, but at its heart, it's a human tale of the individuals who find themselves in these hopeless situations. At 2 hrs 20 minutes long, the film doesn't skimp on any portion of the book and really rather slavishly portrays basically every line of the book. The Good: everything looks great, Lawrence is basically perfect, Harrelson is perfect, Donald Sutherland is wise and yet menacing as President Snow, Hutcherson is strong.. top to bottom the casting is top-notch. (Lenny Kravitz's Cinna? Yep.) The Bad: Wes Bentley's Seneca simply doesn't cut it for me. Sorry, Wes. Also, some of the more sci-fi elements of the books (genetically modified creatures and such) seem a bit trippy for the film.. they could have used to have been toned down some.
So for a film that at its heart is about brutal combat between teenagers, the violence is never cartoonish or over the top. It's treated with the necessary gravitas.. this is a horrible situation, and we're never made to forget that. Like all dystopian works, this film serves as a cautionary tale. "The Capitol" is reminiscent of ancient Rome, where the patricians lived in the laps of luxury while the plebians (ancient 99%ers) slaved away in squalor. Faithful adaptation and direction, pitch-perfect casting, strong performances and a grounded character-driven approach to a futuristic tale combine to make this a worthwhile and valuable contribution to American sci-fi. Guys, we have a borderline great movie here.
8.4/10.
1 comment:
Take away the hullabaloo surrounding the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling young adult book and what you have is an absorbing film with a dire premise that stands pretty much on its own. Lawrence is also the stand-out here as Katniss and makes her seem like a real person rather than just another book character brought to life on film. Good review. Check out my review when you can.
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