The Hunger Games

Rating: 9/10 (28 October 2013)

Jennifer Lawrence (Catnis) Josh Huterson (Peeta), Liam Hemsworth ( Gale) play three of the biggest roles in The Hunger Games which was released in 2011. The film is set in out lying poor district of a very high tech futuristic world. It moves from this place to that of a game arena created by the master minds who are behind the games themselves. The game that all the tributes will "play" is a duel to the death. The games are annually played because of a revolution all the strict tried to have against the highest power. These games are now played to keep them in check and under control.
The movie begins with you meeting Catnis and her family. She quickly show the emotions and love she has for her sister, and lets the audience understand that a bond such as this will never be broken before the story even begins. The viewers are given a glimpse into the life of this family as they show flash backs of how they lost a loved one, and how each of them delt with this grief. Viewers then follow Catnis to a place where she feels most at home. She begins to show you the skills she will use in the game and is interrupted by a friend. Gale, played by Liam Hemsworth surprises her in the woods, and they are then both surprised by the peace keepers; who fly over them in a ship landing to begin preparation for reaping day. Reaping Day is one of the most important scenes of the entire movie. The audience is given an understanding of why the mayor of these districts forces a male and female tribute from each district to take part in a duel to the death that he calls The Hunger Games. After everyone has been chosen for the games you are taken with the tributes on a trip to the new lands. The audience experience the awe that they feel as they are whisked away to these new lands. During this experience you meet their mentor who is supposed to guide them to bring out the best of their abilities. He is used to give them skills in the games, but the tributes ( Catnis and Peeta) soon realize that he is dealing with a few demons of his own. After approaching the world they have never seen before, they are presented to the people of the town in a tribute parade. This is the time that they have to make themselves remembered and the tributes from district 12 (Catnis and Peeta) do just that. Finally we are sent into the games with the tributes and from there only one can be crowned. The journey to find this victor involved alliances, betrayal, and twists and turns that the audience will never see coming.
The acting in this film is impeccable. Many of the actors and actresses must act their own deaths and make it believable. When they witness a horrific event they must make the audience feel the emotion that their character would feel. One example is at the beginning of the games as each individuals stands on their platform the director utilizes a wide angle shot. This gives the audience the ability to see each tribute's face. Each viewer is able to see which tributes are confident, which ones are petrified, and emotion in-between. For these actors to be able to portray that in a group of people without saying one word was incredible.
Another fantastic aspect of this film was the decisions of shots. The director did a good job of making the shots as if you were seeing through the eyes of Catnis. Again when they are first coming into the arena where they will be playing with the sun is incredibly bright. The director uses a view faced directly at the sun as if you are looking through Catnis's eyes trying to adjust to the new bright light. In another scene,Catnis is in a tree with many other tributes on her heels. The camera is placed at the bottom on the tree so as an arrow is shot at her you see her entire body and the arrow. This gives you an understanding to just how close she escaped death as she sat high up in a tree away from her enemies.
Finally,this is a film I would recommend. It has romance, thrill, and a director who knew how to captivate his audience. The movie is a personal favorite of mine,not only because of the plot line, but because of the cast and techniques used during the production of the film. I would recommend this movie.