March 24, 2012

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross, tells the tale of a post-Civil War II United States, now called Panem, broken up into 12 Districts, and ruled over with an iron fist by a very beardy Donald Sutherland.  As punishment for getting all uppity the 12 Districts (the unfortunate losers of Civil War II) are forced to send 24 children (two from each district) between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Hunger Games, where they will battle each other to the death.  


The story begins as a very weary Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) treads through her downtrodden District 12, a broken down mining community where the spirits are as black as the coal.  The audience bares witness to The Reaping, a lottery of sorts where the unfortunate children are chosen.  And that's where the tale begins.  The success or failure of The Hunger Games rests squarely on Katniss' shoulders.  More specifically, it rests on Jennifer Lawrence's ability to pull off a great performance.  So does she?


Jennifer Lawrence is becoming an amazing actor. I first saw her in X-men: First Class as Mystique, which I thought she did a very good job. Here, as Katniss Everdeen she does an even better job. I'm a big fan of the source material, so I was a little worried at how well the first-person perspective of the books would translate to the big screen. I shouldn't have worried, because Lawrence does a fantastic job of making Katniss an open book. Had I not been privy to her thoughts from the books I still would have known what Katniss was thinking, thanks to Lawrence's uncanny ability to convey emotion.  There is a subtle elegance, a hidden grace that she manages to squeeze out of her characters.  
I hope that in between sequels she chooses some challenging projects, as I cannot wait to see more of her work. She is this close to being a super duper megastar, if not one already.

The rest of the cast also did an outstanding job. The actors who played Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) did surprisingly well. I usually groan when they cast a "pretty face" for any kind of role, but these two guys actually brought the characters to life. Woody Harrelson was great as Hamich, adding just the right amount of intoxicated contempt without going overboard. Elizabeth Banks' Effie Trinket was just eccentric enough without going overboard.  Also, surprise, Lenny Kravitz? And he was good as Cinna!  Hooray for pleasant surprises!

I was worried about the PG-13 rating, but the violence depicted was pretty hard hitting. Not graphic, mind you, but hard hitting. Think "The Dark Knight" level. There is blood, but no gore. Gary Ross's direction is somewhat minimalist, but effective. His ability to punctuate action and linger on important character moments really add a unique visual life to the movie.  Though there is a frak-ton of 'shakey-cam', so keep that in mind if you see it on a full stomach.

There were some deviation from the book, which is fine.  Different medium, different tools.  The best change had to do with the muttations.  I liked that the muttations during the finale were changed to freaky genetically mutated dogs instead of the more incredulous anthropomorphic amalgams of the dead tributes. I always thought the muttations in the book seemed a little out of place and kind of cheesy. They were toned down in the movie. They're still there, just not over the top. In fact, Gary Ross' restrained direction actually did wonders and kept the tone serious without committing the crime of taking itself too seriously, as some movies tend to do.
The costumes the denizens of the Capitol wore, along with their make-up, were very well done. They really captured the flamboyant style well.  The bright colors, crazy hair styles, and impractical couture really showed how the citizens of the Capitol were completely out of touch with the rest of Panem.  This is one area I hope Gary Ross actually amps up in the sequel.  Making the Capitol dress code way over-the-top would further highlight the divide between the classes.

The cave scene between Peeta and Katniss was light years better than I thought it would be. I was doing a pre-cringe when I saw that scene coming up, and wondered how it would translate to screen. I was expecting something "Twilighty", I ended up getting something actually kind of touching.  Again, hooray for pleasant surprises!

The movie overall was a very good adaptation of the book. I think you'll get more out of the movie if you read the book beforehand, but it's not all that necessary. I definitely recommend seeing it!

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