a brutally violent film for teenagers and adults to enjoy

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2012)

Unless you've been living in a cave or hiding under a rock, the newest film franchise to be based on a series of books is The Hunger Games. The trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, has been read by millions around the world, so anticipation and expectations for the film have been high. The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future in the country of Panem, where the Capital rules over 12 "districts". As punishment for a prior uprising by the districts, a ceremony is held every year in which each district selects a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to represent their district in a battle to the death on live television.
The key to making a successful film is selecting the right director. Gary Ross, whose previous directorial efforts were the underrated Pleasantville and the Oscar nominated Seabiscuit, was the director chosen; Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) was brought on as Second Unit Director. The next major hurdle was in casting, and it goes without saying that the casting choices were absolutely perfect. The stunning Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar nominated for her performance in Winter's Bone, was chosen as the films lead character, Katniss Everdene. Katniss is an intelligent, strong willed, and determined young woman and Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal is of her is perfect; she IS Katniss! Josh Hutcherson (Journey 2: Mysterious Island) plays Peeta Mellark, the love struck baker's son selected as the male tribute to represent district 12. Hutcherson is not the typical leading man in an action film. He doesn't have magazine cover looks, he doesn't have a chiseled body, he's just your average Joe; and it's that reason that he works so well in the role of Peeta. Woody Harrelson's Haymitch should have been great! In the scenes Harrelson's in, his Haymitch is engaging and commands the screen; unfortunately Harrelson is completely underutilized and doesn't get enough screen time. Elizabeth Banks looks great as Effie Trinket. Stanley Tucci plays Caesar Flickerman with great flamboyancy and looks to be enjoying every minute of it. Donald Sutherland's President Snow exudes power and rules with an iron fist. The rest of the cast includes such fine additions as Wes Bentley, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz and a slew of others. Regrettably, the majority of the cast, much like Harrelson's Haymitch, isn't provided enough screen time to allow the characters to be developed; and there lies the biggest problem with the movie.
As I was saying earlier, the main problem with The Hunger Games is that a majority of the characters lack depth due to being underdeveloped, leaving the audience invested mostly in Katniss and mildly in Peeta. Characters like Haymitch, Cinna (Kravitz), Effie, Gale (Hemsworth), and Rue (Amandla Stenberg) who could have had bigger roles are given so little that a few of them could have been left out completely. To be fair, having read the books in which the reader is given more information on the characters, it's difficult to separate the two and judge the film on its own merit.
The Hunger Games is that rare type of movie that appeals to all audiences; younger, older, male and female; it is a very, very good film. The story is well established, albeit at times moved along too quickly. The acting performances are wonderful, the training sequences are entertaining, and the overall action sequences are well executed; The Hunger Games is a very, very violent movie. This isn't a movie along the lines of the Harry Potter or Twilight series'. It's brutally dark film, and one that can be enjoyed by most; just be sure not to try and compare it directly to the book, because you'll only be disappointing yourself.
Grade: A-
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