“Oh, great: ANOTHER teen novel adaptation!” is probably what you were thinking when news broke out that Suzanne Collins’ popular novel was getting the big screen treatment (unless you happened to be a fan of the book, of course). But before you write off The Hunger Games as disposable teenage entertainment, you should really give director Gary Ross, Jennifer Lawrence and company the benefit of the doubt, for they have crafted together something that never quite reaches the scale of Harry Potter, but definitely trumps the lacklustre Twilight Saga.
The film is set in a dystopian future where an opulent, grandiose city known as The Capitol reigns over twelve impoverished districts. Every year, two teenagers of each district are randomly picked to take part in the Hunger Games, a televised show in which young players must fight each other to the death. Twenty four go in. Only one comes out. When her young sister is unexpectedly selected, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) impulsively volunteers to take her place in the arena.
As far as set ups go, it’s a killer (pun firmly intended). Playing out like an episode of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! gone irrevocably out of control, there are times when watching The Hunger Games feels like sitting through the most bizarre and in bad taste reality TV show ever commissioned for prime time viewing… and that is exactly the point.
With the presence of sponsors, mentors, make-up artists and TV hosts trying to get “awwws” out of audiences, it’s hard not to think of the real life parade of bland talent shows (especially the one with the big X in the title) where contestants employ all sorts of manipulative tricks to get viewers on their side. It’s these segments behind the scenes that make The Hunger Games really stand out, purely because they reveal the machinations that go into of reality TV entertainment. “You're supposed to be star crossed lovers” warns Woody Harrelson’s quirky mentor at one point “We can work with this!”.
Driving this whole sci-fi satire on contemporary culture is up and coming starlet Jennifer Lawrence. It’s not hard to see why she was sought after for the title role, as the protagonist shares a lot in common with Winter’s Bone’s Ree Dolly, for which Lawrence was Oscar nominated. Both characters are young girls who have had immense responsibilities thrust upon their frail shoulders and both aren’t afraid to make difficult decisions when it comes to survival. In Lawrence’s hands, Katniss is a poignant, strong and far more inspiring female figure than Bella Swan or Hermione Granger will ever be. It’s just a shame that Josh Hutcherson, perfectly fine as Peeta, the fellow contestant who pines for Katniss, is completely overshadowed by the bravura of his female co-star.
Unfortunately the actual Hunger Games are a disappointingly uneven and underwhelming affair. It’s not easy matching the novel’s levels of violence when you have a 12A certificate but, nut-jock Cato aside, the battles in the arena barely muster the brutality of a paintball game. Which is a shame, because while the acting is strong, a little bit more action wouldn’t have hurt either.
Still, there is a chance to improve on that in the far more apocalyptic sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Whether those will be made is all down to the first film’s opening weekend figures at the box office. May the odds be ever in its favour.
3/5
The Hunger Games has as much to say about oppressive politics and the bloodthirsty, heartless media as it does about the internal struggle among the combatants. Still though, everybody here is great, especially Lawrence in a star-making role, and definitely has me pumped up for the sequel. Good review Mike. Check out my review when you can.
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