Susan Collins’ Hunger Games book series was never really for children. That may have been her intent, but the books are full of gruesome deaths and brutality that are not always appropriate for children, and have drawn fans of all ages.
Collins ability to deftly weave the vulnerabilities of young love with more adult themes of sacrifice and survival is a principal attraction to the series. The Hunger Games released this weekend unfortunately moderates its source material in an effort to fit every moment on screen and sacrifices impact to retain a PG-13 rating.
The Hunger Games are an annual death match played out on an environment-controlled battlefield for the entertainment of the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem. Each year, the ruling district, the Capitol, forces 12 subdued districts to deliver a randomly selected male and female tribute to the competition. When Katness Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) young sister, Prim, is chosen as a tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place and fight for survival on a field where the odds are ever against her.
Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson perfectly capture the angst of Katness Everdeen and the likeable simplicity of District 12’s male tribute, Peeta Mellark. The two gel nicely as they prepare for the contest, but once it begins director Gary Ross hurries through their tender moments, checking off plot points with little room for their characters – or relationship – to really develop. Their story is bolstered by a great supporting cast though, with Woody Harrelson’s sarcastic drunk Haymitch and Donald Sutherland’s quietly menacing President Snow as standouts in the film.
The script for the movie is better. The talented trio that co-wrote the script (Ross, Collins and screenwriter Billy Ray) appropriately allow Laurence and the rest of the cast to express themselves silently in a world where the Capitol is always watching.
One of the film’s biggest drawbacks is Ross’s camera style. He uses close-up handheld camerawork that only works if used sparingly. In The Hunger Games it’s used almost exclusively, which makes the deadly hand-to-hand fights more confusing than anything else.
Ross does bring the book to beautiful visual life, however. District 12 is Depression-era drab, in stark contrast to the color-filled Capitol and even the wooded battlefield where the tributes fight. But one important moment, when Katniss and Peeta’s triumphant entry as the tributes on fire, looks about as magical as the fire mares from the 80’s sword and sorcery flick Krull. It’s a lackluster moment that should have been defining.
As a whole “The Hunger Games” is decent but not a must see film. It has a lot of flaws, but with an added scene of rebellion in District 11 and some of the intrigue from the later books incorporated in early, the rest of the movie series shouldn’t have any trouble catching fire.
