Peeta (and Cast) Satisfy Fans' Hunger

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2013)

The odds were definitely in the favors of the movie creators of the Hunger Games. Making 155 million dollars opening weekend, the Hungers Games exceeded fan's expectations. The film's accuracy to the book's text, written by Suzanne Collins, pleased the massive numbers of dedicated fans. The talented Jennifer Lawrence plays the main character Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who lived in District 12, the poorest of all districts, with her sister, mom, and best friend Gale Hawthorne, played by Liam Hemsworth. Lawrence made an outstanding performance which perfectly displayed Katniss' traits of bravery, stubbornness, and survivalist instincts. The story takes place in Panem, a post- apocalyptic country located on the continent of North America. The Capitol, an extravagant and lavish city which dictates the country, hosts an annual game show called "The Hunger Games" in which tributes are picked from each district to battle until death in the man-made and controlled arena. Katniss and Peeta Mallark, played by Josh Hutcherson, are selected from District 12 to participate in the games and must try to survive the cruel Capitol imposition that traditionally kills twenty- three people, leaving only one victor. One can assume that a plot set in a futuristic Utopian world has to be intriguing, but somewhat difficult to produce. The movie realistically portrays Panem through the intricate set details of the arena and Capitol. Many were excited to see how the game arena would be portrayed since the book described it as a force-field covered area, strictly controlled by the Gamemakers, with a Cornucopia center. The Cornucopia was where the games began and contained necessary weapons and tools. This part was disappointing because, in the movie, the Cornucopia was just a large, metal, box-looking structure. Aside from that, the set was extremely well done. Furthermore, the graphics of the fighting scenes did not fail to impress audiences. From Katniss' bow and arrow shootings to the chase of the mutated wolves, watchers were completely soaked into the movie absorbing the intense action-packed scenes. However, the film was comical at certain parts, mostly due to Katniss' sometimes awkward personality. The make-up of the cast members was also astonishing. It was elaborate and creative, but not overdone and frightening. Exemplary examples include Seneca Crane's beard and Cinna's eyeliner. Overall, the movie was marvelous and I applaud the cast for an outstanding job imitating an accent that has not yet been heard.