An excellent stand-alone film that doesn't belong in a series

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2012)

After last year's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 famously hammered the nail in the coffin of the beloved Potter franchise, many avid teenage readers and moviegoers searched frantically for another dependably exciting adventure series to fill the aching, gaping hole that was left after the worldwide heartbreak. The fact that many of them believe that they've found it with Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games will, it seems, mitigate the power of what is really an inspired, intelligent, brilliantly crafted fable and provide egoistic film critics with the perfect ammunition to blast away the threat to their vain conservatism.
This should never have really been a series, because it works on the same level as other eerie futuristic pieces such as George Orwell's fascinating 1984 or Ridley Scott's rickety but well-intentioned Blade Runner (1982). Books or films belonging to a pre-mediated fantasy or science fiction series usually end quite inconclusively and mysteriously, with a neat explanation being provided in the final instalment. This perfectly packaged ending is made possible by the disconnect from the real world, but The Hunger Games is very much focused on harsh realities and palpable, relatable ambiguities, or at least it was until the sequel Catching Fire was published in 2009. The main premise of the story might have been typical of teenage entertainment – yet nevertheless exciting – but the insightful earlier and later passages are what set it apart from mainstream blockbuster entertainment.
As most people know, the story centres on young Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who struggles to support her family and to cope personally in a brutal dystopian future. She lives in the last of twelve strictly separated districts that get progressively poorer, although each has been oppressed severely by the Capitol, particularly after the great insurrection that occurred several decades before Katniss' birth. This is where one of the story's most unique aspects comes in, in that the violent and passionate rebellion that usually takes centre stage in these stories has come and gone unsuccessfully, and has had adverse effects on the later generations. Now, every year, the Capitol draws names out of a ballot and takes a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18, gives them a brief bit of training and places them all in an arena in a gruelling fight to the death that becomes a twisted reality television show for the entire population. Katniss volunteers as a tribute after her fragile, 12-year-old sister is called up, along with the humble and kindly Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) who is just as convinced that he will lose because of his useless fighting skills as he is that Katniss will win because of her determination and hunting experience, and is eager for them to pose as "star-crossed lovers" in order to gain publicity and extra assistance from sponsors.
What follows is their navigation of a perilous moral, philosophical, physical and emotional minefield whilst they try to find a balance between staying true to themselves and their personal beliefs, even if it means defying the Capitol, and being strategic and adaptable enough to survive. It would be a very laborious task to describe the many details of these rich plot developments, but due mention must go to a few of the most intriguing characters, and the actors that so impressively embody them. Liam Hemsworth effectively plays the supporting character of Gale, Katniss' best friend, who always optimistically insists that they should flee to the forest to live as nature intended and be free of the Capitol. He is just as likable as Peeta, and both are naïve and coldly realistic in their own way. 12- year-old newcomer Amandla Stenberg beautifully captures the innocence and cheekiness of Rue, a gentle but elusive young tribute who is incredibly adept at climbing. Jack Quaid, another newcomer, somehow manages to mask his natural warmth in order to play an insufferably pompous yet undeniably tough and dangerous competitor from the wealthier area of district 1, where tributes are fiercely trained from a young age and volunteer with pleasure to slaughter the poorer citizens. As for Katniss herself, the still unsteady Jennifer Lawrence has proved to be the perfect casting choice. Our heroine is very similar to her Oscar- nominated role in Winter's Bone (2010) and no doubt she's used many of the same characterisation techniques to portray this tough, earthy yet very sympathetic character, but here she has refined her acting skills enough to make the audience like her as well as the Academy. Josh Hutcherson has also been very well cast as Peeta, being very believable and incredibly moving. It is a pleasure to see him still acting well and prominently after his terrific efforts as a child actor in the last decade, and hopefully he will make the transition to serious adult actor. Lenny Kravitz portrays another powerfully sympathetic character, Cinna, the only Capitol official who recognises the cruelty and harshness of the Hunger Games and extends a gentle, helping hand towards Katniss. Indeed, the upper class is a ghastly sight. Respected actors Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Toby Jones and Elizabeth Banks stagger on screen as outrageously dressed, ridiculously drunk, shamelessly shallow and often shockingly heartless bureaucrats that appear to be caricatures at first glance, but eventually one realises that as far as representations of government officials go they couldn't be more realistic.
A story such as this could never have a concrete ending and remain believable, and unfortunately, by giving it an ending across two sequels, Suzanne Collins has ruined this marvellous fable's chances of ever being taken seriously by anyone over the age of twenty. Still, make sure you experience this fantastic book and film.