The Hunger Games

Rating: 10/10 (14 June 2012)

"The Hunger Games" is brilliant story told through the eyes of 16 year old Katniss Everdeen. It's also based on a series of books by author Suzanne Collins. In this action packed Katniss is an independent girl who tries her best to care for her young sister and unstable mother. When her young sister Prim is chosen to take part in the deadly "Hunger Games", a fight to the death for safety, riches, fame, and freedom Katniss decides to take Prim's place to fight for her sister. The film takes place in the country of Panem which is a post apocalyptic North America. The acting was great. The cinematography was good also. The film was dramatic but not too over the top. It really showed the struggle that the characters faced throughout the film.
The country of Panem was divided into 13 districts. After an uprising The Capitol decided to destroy District 13, leaving the country with only 12 Districts. As a way to remember the lives lost during the rebellion that took place decades earlier the Capitol started "The Hunger Games". Two people (1 boy, 1 girl) from each of the 12 districts that North America is divided into after the uprising have to fight to the death. Only one is left standing. Fighting for her life, Katniss competes with 23 other people, Katniss and Peeta are representatives of District 12. They come from a dark depressing District full of coal miners. Peeta and Katniss soon find themselves working together to eliminate the other players. Soon a friendship forms between them that could kill them or save them both.
An aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the acting; I loved it. The chemistry between the characters was believable. When the characters didn't particularly like it each other it was convincing. The style of acting in the movie went well with the plot. It wasn't too dramatic and it also wasn't depressing. The actors knew how to act in that moment. I especially thought Jennifer Lawrence did great in her portrayal of Katniss. If you've ever read the books Katniss seems to not care about anyone except her young sister and Jennifer really showed that in the film. The way Jennifer acted when her character didn't like someone was very believable. Katniss isn't very emotional or friendly, which is another thing Jeniffer portrayed well. I also enjoyed Josh Hutcherson's portrayal of Peeta. I believed the emotions being portrayed by the character. I believed when he was in love, angry sad etc Overall every person did a great job portraying their characters. The style of acting was good also. It went well with the film. They did not act like they were bored as a way to convey sadness. The actors really conveyed the sadness the characters were supposed to feel.
I also loved the cinematography used in the film. I thought when the camera shook really went well with the moments it was apart of. It heightened the sense of restlessness, hopelessness and chaos. It stuck with the movies theme of sacrifice, hopelessness and the need people have to survive. I loved when this particular use of the camera was used during moments of running because it really immersed me in the film. It made you feel like you were apart of the moment. The use of that type of cinematography also went well with fighting scenes in the movie, it really heightened the chaos that was going on in the scene. It also made the scenes more dramatic which is a good thing in a movie like this.
Overall I really enjoyed the movie. I've already seen it like three times and I would definitely watch it again. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone under the age of 12 because they might not be able to handle violence, but I recommend this movie to anyone who likes action drama and a little romance. Also to anyone who has read the series of books. They really keep true to the story except for a few changes, but the movie was great without them. "The Hunger Games" is a great movie that brought tears to my eyes and kept me at the edge of my seat. I truly enjoyed it, and I hope that more people see it because it is a great movie.