Craig Reviews The Hunger Games

*SPOILER WARNING*

To say that I was looking forward to seeing The Hunger Games would be a dramatic understatement. I started reading the books last year, after my Twitter feed suddenly lit up with talk of the film on the day that the first pictures of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss were released, and I found myself hooked immediately. As the film drew closer I did however find myself slightly worried that it couldn’t live up to the hype. After all, it was the relentless tension that kept me glued to the book, and now that I knew the story, would the film be able to recreate that rush that I got at the end of every chapter? Fortunately, the answer is no. Yes, you read that right. The film is not as intense as the book in a lot of ways, but it has a gripping presence that is all it’s own. In condensing the source material the film manages to be both enjoyable for fans of the book, who will no doubt be flocking to cinemas, as well a great film in it’s own right, one that will hopefully introduce a lot more people to Katniss Everdeen.

 The story takes place in Panem, a dystopian future vision of North America, where 12 impoverished districts are ruled over by the ludicrously wealthy Capitol. As punishment for a past uprising each of the 12 Districts are forced to provide one young man and woman each year to take part in The Hunger Games, a battle to the death between the 24 children.  The games are televised throughout the Capitol as entertainment, while those in the districts are forced to watch as their children are brutally killed. The last one left alive will be sent back home to their district to live a life of relative wealth as a hero. I will readily admit that it is not the most original story, though I also feel that constant comparisons to Battle Royale are a bit wide of the mark, but the film never feels too familiar, even in spite of it’s slightly tired concept.  It is executed incredibly well; there is a genuinely palpable intensity that permeates the entire film and makes for one of the most enjoyable blockbusters in recent memory. Director Gary Ross, who also co-wrote the screenplay along with the original author Suzanne Collins, does a great job of bringing these characters to life and making the plight of the districts feel real.

District 11 watches on in one of the film's more powerful moments, and it's single fleeting visit to any district other than 12.

 Some changes have been made to the original story, understandably as even at a whopping 142 minutes there are definitely parts of the film that feel a bit rushed, and for the most part these changes improve the story. For example, the single, and very brief, sequence in the film that addresses the death of Katniss’ father is extremely powerful, and the reduced emphasis on the strained relationship between Katniss and her mother is very welcome. Likewise, changes to the origin of the Mockingjay pin are understandable in that it removes a character who was always a little unnecessary and strengthens the bond between Katniss and Primrose more effectively. There are, however, other changes and omissions that don’t quite fare as well. A lot of the background information about Panem isn’t made clear in the movie, indeed even the name Panem is barely mentioned, and very little is seen of any of the other districts. The symbolism of the Mockingjay itself also goes completely unmentioned in this first film, and the Muttations in general are played down in the movie, a blessing in the final scenes as I always felt that the book’s interpretation of the wolf-like creatures went a bit overboard.  I did however feel that the Mockingjay needed more explanation, as it’s a detail that becomes quite important later on, I can only assume therefore that it will instead come in later films. Less important to the story, but slightly frustrating, are the Avoxes, who appear in the film, but are never mentioned by name or explained outside of a brief comment from Gale mentioning the Capitol cutting out tongues. All in all, the story works, and for those who haven’t read the books most of the cuts will obviously be a non-issue.

The acting is consistently great, even if a lot of the characters have drastically reduced parts to play in the film. The film is undoubtedly all about Jennifer Lawrence, and she plays Katniss perfectly, imbuing her with the heart that the character always seemed to be lacking in the book. Lawrence has fantastic screen presence and I think she’s got a long career in film ahead of her. Josh Hutcherson is not quite as amazing as Peeta, but he plays the part well enough, and he does sell the star-crossed lovers act very well. Practically everyone else in the film is playing a bit part to be honest, Gale looks pretty and glares at a screen a few times and that’s about it, Elizabeth Banks does her best to shine in what little screen time she has as the garish Effie Trinket, and Lenny Kravitz makes for a surprisingly good Cinna, though again his role is very small. Haymitch’s reduced role in the film is perhaps most criminal of all. Woody Harrelson does his best but the film lacks the material that made Haymitch such a great character in the book. His previous win is barely mentioned, his struggle to become sober in order to help Katniss and Peeta train for the games is woefully underdeveloped, and his presence during the games is much less prevalent. We do however get to see a lot more of President Snow and Seneca Crane, as well as the whole process of creating the games in general, which is admittedly very interesting to watch.

More than anything the film is a blockbuster that doesn’t feel like a blockbuster. It’s got a quiet intensity boiling away throughout the whole film that’s really captivating, and it feels quite small in scale compared to other big blockbuster movies, with a much more subtle, personal touch than your usual big Hollywood movie. There’s not an awful lot of in-your-face CG work in the movie, no forced 3D, and no overbearing, sentimental score, just a gripping story. The film is for the most part very well-paced, never resting for too long, though the ending whizzes by very quickly, without really giving itself time to sink in, except to make it clear that a sequel is on the way. It’s got a realistic edge that really serves the story well, and the shaky-cam technique is instrumental in this, adding to the gritty reality TV feel that the games are going for, though at times it is a little too much. It’s apparent early on that the director does not have a whole lot of experience with action sequence, and the final fight with Cato on top of the Cornucopia is an almost unwatchable blur. I get that actually showing teenagers killing teenagers would’ve pushed their rating up further than they liked, but some of the more intense clashes do suffer because of this inability to show anything too graphic. Overall, the film has a lot more successes than it has failures, it’s a great film on it’s own merits, and it’s a pleasure to see a franchise that I love being dealt with by such capable hands, I can only hope that Catching Fire will be as compelling when it arrives next year.