The Hunger Games
Director: Gary Ross
By Alex Watson
There have been many adaptations of popular teenage novel in recent years. The Twilight Saga in particular has caused mass hysteria across the world with its young vampire lover’s story line. Cinema queues have been as far as the eye can see and it has made stars of its actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. But although these films have been ringing the box office bell, the critics have been frequently criticised the series for its poor plot and under developed characters. Quite simply, this story line can only appeal to a certain age group. Now we turn to director Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s big selling novel, The Hunger Games. Will this version keep its head above water or will be just another teen movie?
The story is set in the futuristic world of Panem, which used to be the former United States. The country has now been divided into 12 different districts and each year they select one male and female to compete in the annual Hunger Games- a competition where 24 young people fight to the death! When sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutchison) are selected from district 12, they will make a lasting impact on the games as they fight for their own survival!
The Hunger Games easily the best of the teen novel adaptations in years gone by, the smart concept is well executed and it will easily please fans of the books. Gary Ross sucks us into its unique world which is ruled with an iron fist by a wealthy capital city and its all powerful leader (Donald Sutherland). The districts are literally living off scraps that others throw for them and in return they must risk the lives of their children for the entertainment of the public! The lingering sense of dread is built up to high levels as the start of the games grows near, this is made all the more frightening by the fact that all but one of the children will die for a nothing cause!
The violence in the movie is both a terrifying and fascinating experience, for teenage movie we are not shown typical blood and gore, but every time a scream is heard our chest tighten in fear as Katniss ducks for cover in the thick forest. Ross is relentless in his representation of violence, but not once does he cross the line into darker territory. His delivery of these scenes is well done and although shocking in places, it adds to The Hunger Games’ intelligent appeal. The most shocking element of the film is that we see a society that is completely desensitised to violence. Reality television has gone to the next level and behind the scenes we see the cruel bigwigs masterminding every unpleasant kink to make sure the ratings go through the roof and that brutality is celebrated!
As Katniss, Jennifer Lawrence is a perfect choice. Her performance in the under seen Winters Bone, showed that she could play the tough heroine, and in The Hunger Games this suits her character perfectly. Katniss isn’t in this game to win, she in this to fight for her life and because of this she has a level headedness to see things through! Lawrence is a new star in the making and I look forward to seeing her in the future. Josh Hutchison is also good as Peeta, a boy who has a long standing crush on Katniss. When he publically professes his love the public go wild for the pair! Through the emotional longing in his eyes, we fear for Peeta’s safety and pray that Katniss will keep him safe! Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz also give great support as the pairs respective mentors. They bring a human touch to proceedings and give the pair much needed emotional support. Harrelson’s character has seen the bloodshed world of the games and as a result is permanently disturbed and has turned to alcohol to ease his pain!
The world of The Hunger Games is one of the most original ideas in cinema in recent years. Through this it proves that not all teenage novels have to be cute and family friendly to audiences. But through it is a powerful message about the influence that reality television over people. It’s a terrifying thought that this could be the future of entertainment! Its sequel Catching Fire is due out later in the year; I lie in waiting to see the next series of events in the world of Panem!
Closer to the Edge 