Happy Hunger Games and May the Odds be EVER in Your Favor

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2012)

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. -- (C) Lionsgate
As someone who has read the novel, I must say now that THG is not a perfect adaptation. After all, when do you ever see a novel be perfectly translated to the big screen? Saying that, THG is an incredibly solid and strong effort that should please the fans of the series as well as those who are curious to see what the hype surrounding the film is. If I were to compare this to the Harry Potter and Twilight series, which, of course, is inevitable, you'll be happy when I say that it's a lot closer to the quality of Harry Potter than that of Twilight. I'd also like to end the issue of THG "ripping off" Battle Royale. Let's be honest here: Those who say THG is a ripoff of BR either haven't read THG or seen BR. While the two both revolve around the same concept, the executions are vastly different. THG and BR both deal with different issues and themes, and therefore, the comparison ends there. Additionally, there is no reason why you should like one and not the other.
Getting all that out of the way, here are some issues I had with the film: Even with a long running time of 142 minutes, THG condenses a lot of events that play out in the novel and glosses over some details that I would have liked for the filmmakers to focus more on. The condensing of the material cuts a bit of characterization and makes emotional scenes feel rushed, and the glossing over of some details may make it difficult for someone who has not read the novel to understand what's going on. Furthermore, some of the CGI were a bit cartoonish, especially with the use of fire. Let's hope that the next film will get a bigger budget to improve on some of these effects.
However, there are some great additions that came with the film too. Since the novel is written in Katniss' first-person perspective, we only get to know about what she sees and thinks. The film takes advantage of its format and adds some third-person scenes that ingeniously expand the world already created by author Suzanne Collins. As a result, some secondary characters that didn't have much presence in the novel have a lot more screen time in the film, including President Snow, Seneca Crane, and Haymitch. In particular, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of the Hunger Games in a control room where the tech people literally get to play Mother Nature. There are also some small plot changes that help set up the sequels.
Director Gary Ross makes the great decision to downplay many things, with the use of hand-held cameras and the resistance to glorify many cinematic techniques. For example, the score by James Newton Howard is only used when is necessary, and when it is used, it's used effectively. This makes the world of Panem feel real and the issues more pressing. Of course, the shaky cameras also allow a lot of violence to pass with a PG-13 rating, resulting in possibly the most violent PG-13 film I've ever seen in my life so far. I also have to give a shout out to the sound department as well, which is another aspect that is taken advantage of to convey the violence. With the start of the film, we are put into an unusual world that we learn ourselves as the film progresses instead of the characters telling us every important plot point because they naturally know the rules of their world already. On top of that, the bleak and somber tone is done extremely well, with the build up to the game terrifying.
Of course, this is Jennifer Lawrence's film, and the camera is mostly with her the entire way through. Accordingly, it's a good thing that Lawrence does a terrific job in her role, playing the strong-willed character with such incredible subtlety that it aches us when she finally does show her emotions. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta does a great job as well, successfully giving the character the charismatic quality that was in the novel. Adult stars Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland are just great, doing justice to their roles. Sutherland, in particular, plays a menacing villain without showing much emotion at all, delivering his lines in such a subtle yet fierce manner.
If you think about what the filmmakers had to work with, a book told in first-person of a new world, and saw what resulted on screen, the accomplishment is commendable, if not entirely amazing. With the direction of Gary Ross and a powerhouse performance from Jennifer Lawrence, THG is a faithful adaptation of the novel that deserves the success it receives. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be EVER in the series' favor!