I'm extremely surprised that "The Hunger Games" is as popular as it is, both in its novel and film forms. A big part of me wonders if people even understand what this story is about, because it is extremely dark and the social commentary is quite apparent. The fact that the book is considered a young adult novel, and that a large part of the fanbase seems to be teenagers and even preteens is downright disturbing on some levels, because the actual social and political themes here seem like they would go completely over their heads, leaving them to read the book and watch the film purely for entertainment. Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to the series's fanbase (The Hunger Games the novel is the first of a trilogy; the film series will likely be at least four parts). But when all I heard leading up to the film's release were comparisons to the insipid dreck that is "Twilight"--complete with yet another teenage love triangle--I was quite surprised by how dark and incisive the story is. The society of this world created by author Suzanne Collins is one where, every year, twenty-four children are rounded up and forced to fight brutally to the death in a gladiatorial match that is compulsory television viewing for the entire population of this post-apocalypic North America known as Panem. This is a society of fascism at its highest order, but more specifically, this is a story about children being forced to slaughter other children for entertainment. So IF it's being read by today's children and viewed the same as the utterly empty and pointless drivel that is "Twilight," that would be just one of many possible sad commentaries on our society.
Okay, with that out of the way, I'll just concentrate on the film itself. I've already alluded to the plot, and given the number of people who have already seen the film during its opening weekend, it's probably pointless for me to outline it any more. The weakest link in the film is definitely the script. Adapted from the novel by Collins, director Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit," "Pleasantville"), and Billy Ray, it features no shortage of clunky dialogue. The developing romance bewteen Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) near the end of the film had me rolling my eyes, and the flashbacks to Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Katniss's suitor back home in District 12 just upped the cheese factor. I don't have a problem with romance in films, or even love triangles, but they have to be handled well, and this one just felt out of place; fortunately they don't dwell on it long. There's also some pretty heavy foreshadowing that takes away from the film's most intense emotional moment, which could have been even more powerful had it been handled with more subtlety. I'm sure there are things that make sense to those who have read the book (I haven't); Katniss's three-fingered salute in particular meant nothing to me, though it's a catalyst for one of the film's most powerful moments. That's not to say that the writing is all bad; much of it is handled quite well. I thought that many of the supporting tributes were characterized rather simplistically, but I was legitimately surprised and pleased by how the climax was handled. Overall the writing was a mixed bag for me; hopefully with the film's success a more competent screenwriter can be hired for the sequels (I've seen rumors that Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for writing "Slumdog Millionaire" and was nominated again for "127 Hours" is being targeted).
Other than the dialogue issues though, the film is excellent. Lawrence is an incredibly talented young actress and she absolutely owns the film; she can do more with a look or a facial expression than many actors can do with several lines. That to me is the mark of a truly great actor and Lawrence (who was deservedly nominated for an Oscar for the indie drama "Winter's Bone," and gave one of the better performances in last year's superhero ensemble "X-Men: First Class") has a very bright future ahead of her. Headlining a franchise as big as this one looks to already be should give her her pick of projects from here on out. The supporting cast is filled with big names and they all do well; Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman stand out in particular, and I'm looking forward to where Donald Sutherland is going to take the character of President Snow, a man I already hate just because I know what he represents in this society. Hutcherson also gives a quality performance, but Hemsworth is barely around enough to matter.
Gary Ross seemed an odd choice as director for this project, but he does a great job. The film only dragged for me during the cave sequence near the end; other than that it moves along nicely and never really feels its nearly two-and-a-half hour length. Ross also does a great job of keeping the tension up, particularly during the Games themselves. His use of the ever tricky "shaky-cam" has been debated, but I think it generally worked, particularly in the action sequences (no doubt the frenetic camera movements helped mask the more brutal aspects of the violence, thus barely preserving the PG-13 rating). I could have done without the shaky-cam during the reaping scene; I guess the idea was to give a sense of documentary-style realism, but it felt odd to me. The overall look of the film is appropriately bleak, and James Newton Howard contributes an excellent, mostly restrained score that greatly adds to the mood of the picture. Some of the effects looked rather cheap (expected I guess given that the budget was only $80 million), but with the amount of money the film has made already, the budget will at least double for the sequels, which should help out in the effects department.
I was surprised by the level of violence; much was made of the fact that the filmmakers were required to deliver a PG-13 rating when the content is probably more deserving of an R. So I definitely wasn't expecting the level of blood and gruesomeness present here; it's about as close to an R as you could possibly get in my opinion, and I've seen less gruesome content (which also wasn't by and against children) earn an R. But what's more disturbing about the violence is that it is children killing other children, and a lot of it is extremely difficult to watch. The savagery is necessary though, to illustrate the brutal nature of this fascistic world; the Hunger Games were created as punishment for an attempted rebellion against the oppressive government seventy-four years prior. But if there's any question as to the story's themes, or the potential of what is to come, a denouement scene involving Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), and in particular the final shot of the film, should leave little doubt.
"The Hunger Games" is rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images--all involving teens.
Running time: 142 minutes.
Released domestically on March 23, 2012, by Lionsgate.
3 stars out of 4.
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