The nation of Panem is fitted with a class system that ranges from “very rich” to “very poor,” with nothing in between. On the upper end of the spectrum sits the grandiose city of the Capitol, a lavishly designed metropolis inhabited by a candy-coloured populace whose lives are treated with limitless luxury and wads of wealth. On the other end lie the twelve powerless districts that surround the Capitol, the citizens of each district slavishly providing for the Capitol as they lead a life of miserable squalor and hopeless poverty, all observed closely and mercilessly by the Capitol’s ever-watchful eye.
The protagonist of “The Hunger Games” is Katniss Everdeen, who is played with expected skill and charm by the supremely talented Jennifer Lawrence (“X-Men: First Class”). At 16 years old, Katniss lives in the poverty-stricken District 12, illegally hunting animals outside of her district with a bow and arrow to fend for her mother (Paula Malcomson, “Sons of Anarchy") and younger sister, Prim (11-year-old Willow Shields). Her best buddy and hunting partner is the hunky Gale (Liam Hemsworth, “The Last Song”), who, just like Katniss, lost his father in a tragic mining accident that occurred five years ago.
As is marked by the sudden arrival of a Capitol airship, the 74th Annual Hunger Games are imminent, sending a cold shiver up the spine of most of Panem’s districts. A result of a failed uprising against the Capitol some 70+ years ago, The Hunger Games are the Capitol’s idea of controlling and dominating the supposedly weaker districts; basically, every year the Capitol comes to collect one boy and one girl from each district and puts all 24 of them in a secluded arena together, where they are forced to savagely battle each other to the death until only a single winner is left standing, all of which is transmitted on live television for the Capitol’s sick, twisted amusement. Some districts consider this an honour and a privilege; most consider it utterly abhorrent.
With this being the first time her name is included in the lottery draw, young Prim is petrified that her name will be picked; Katniss assures her that she need not worry, as the chances of that happening are extremely slim. So, along with the rest of District 12, the two sisters head down to the ceremonial “Reaping” together and patiently await the choosing of District 12’s two representatives. First, it’s the girls. A name is randomly chosen, and is read out: it’s not Katniss. But it’s Prim. In a moment of shock horror, Katniss yells out that she volunteers as a tribute, thus replacing her sister as the female tribute of District 12.
Joining her in representing her home is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”), the son of a local baker, who once snuck a half-burnt loaf of bread out of the bakery for a starving Katniss to have and to eat. Katniss and Peeta are quickly sent off to the Capitol via a train along with the rest of the tributes, where they are waxed, groomed, paraded, interviewed and are trained in preparation for the upcoming games.
And then the games begin, and Katniss watches in horror as her fellow tributes’ animalistic sides are suddenly unleashed. Taking place in a vast, wooded landscape decorated with towering trees, the game and its locale are controlled almost entirely at the Capitol by the Gamemakers, who can do almost anything with the push of a button, from starting a rampaging forest fire to making blood-thirsty monsters rise up from the mud. Not wishing to murder anyone without good reason, Katniss makes sure to hide from the others, most of whom are quickly revealed to be barbaric and ruthless in their quest to win the competition. However, Katniss will soon be forced to face them, and face them alone.
Slapped with a PG-13/12A rating, “The Hunger Games” is notably lacking the blood-soaked savagery of its graphically violent source material. That does not mean to say, however, that the film is tonally bloodless; it does have a certain visceral ambience that compensates for a lack of on-screen blood, packing a hard-hitting punch whenever the story calls for it. This is largely thanks to the hand-held camerawork of Tom Stern, which inevitably recalls Oliver Wood’s work in the last two entries of the “Bourne” trilogy; much the same as it was in those two movies, the jittery visuals help to intensify the confused chaos of the action, though not to the point that we ourselves are confused; we are merely more involved in the emotions of the action and more tuned into the shocked mindset of Katniss as she witnesses the depraved, stomach-churning horrors of the games and what it does to her fellow contestants, and to herself.
Katniss is a compelling protagonist: as a tough, independent girl who can more than take care of herself, she is nonetheless still shocked by the brutality of the violence she witnesses when trapped inside the game. This is actually not much of a departure for Lawrence, who was rightfully nominated for an Oscar for her breakthrough role in Debra Granik’s 2010 indie drama “Winter’s Bone.” Her character there was much the same as Katniss, albeit armed with a Southern drawl and a colder attitude. Here, Lawrence performs Katniss with the same level of confidence and charm that bagged her that well-deserved Oscar nomination just two years ago, solidifying herself as one of the finest young actresses working in Hollywood today, if not the finest.
Supporting Lawrence is a fine cast indeed. Starring as Effie Trinket, the extravagantly grotesque escort for District 12, is an unrecognisable Elizabeth Banks (“Man on a Ledge”), who dons unsightly cosmetics and a dress presumably designed by a drunken Vivienne Westwood. As blue-barnetted Panem television host Caesar Flickerman is Stanley Tucci (“The Devil Wears Prada”), who gleefully gurns his way through televised interviews with each tribute in front of a live, fluorescently toned audience.
Woody Harrelson (“Rampart”) plays Haymitch Abernathy, once a winner of the game and now a staggering drunkard, who skillfully guides both Katniss and Peeta through the lead-up to the games, helping both of them to win audience support. Wes Bentley (“American Beauty") plays the wackily bearded, callous executive of the game, while Donald Sutherland (“The Mechanic”) is the elderly president of Panem, who admittedly feels out of place with the story, much as Sutherland impresses. And finally, young Hutcherson is Katniss’ fellow District 12 representee, who serves as something of a love interest to Katniss, a tricky hurdle in a game where each contestant is to make sure that all other contestants are stone dead, love interest or not.
With Collins on board as a co-writer, Ross has smartly stuck closely to the phenomenally successful source material, while at the same time making sure his adaptation stands sturdily on its own two feet; as it turns out, “The Hunger Games” doesn’t just stand sturdily, but stands tall and mighty, towering above most action-packed, teen-oriented blockbusters of recent years. As such, it casts a long and dark shadow that will prove tricky for many upcoming blockbusters to overcome. With two more books in the trilogy left to be adapted (namely “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay”), I must say that I’m thoroughly excited to see more out of what could possibly turn out to be the next “Twilight" saga (financially, I mean) or, dare I say it, the next “Harry Potter” franchise. You could say that I’m, well, hungry for more.
9/10
What is the woman who draws prim's name from the draw's name??? REALLY IMPORTANT like need a answer ASAP, grade 7 project at stake here peeppz... :( !!
ReplyDelete