Plainly said, a great science fiction film

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2012)

I am a fan of the Hunger Games trilogy of novels. The writing is crisp and the pacing is perfect. I'm not here to review the novels, however. I'm here to give you my opinion of the film. This is something that a lot of people don't seem to understand. In the transition from the medium of the novel to the medium of the film, not EVERY little detail can possibly make it in the transition process. It's a totally different artistic medium. The advice I want to give everyone reading this review now is: do not judge the film from the perspective of a fan of the novels. Judge the film for what it is: a film. Judge it on it's own merits. This is how I judged it, and I came out of the theaters thoroughly impressed. First of all, every actor/actress fulfills their role perfectly. The casting was absolutely fantastic, and finding the right people to fit the right role is one of the intrinsic steps to ensuring that your film will be great. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen is perfect. Katniss truly feels like the strong, daring girl that she is. Of course, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was a no-brainer. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth play their roles as the lead male protagonists of the series, Peeta and Gale, quite well. I would also like to give props to Amandla Stenberg for her heartfelt portrayal of Rue, Lenny Kravitz for his SPOT ON portrayal of Cinna (my personal favorite character of the entire series), and Stanley Tucci for his endearing role as Caesar Flickerman. The film, thematically, is about a tyrannical state which seeks to maintain ownership of it's citizens. The society is structured into 12 different districts, and every year two "tributes" from each district are chosen at random in order to battle on live television against one another in the annual "Hunger Games"competitions. The winner receives comfort and peace for the rest of their lives, and that district which he/she is from receives benefits as well. The Hunger Games themselves are a message from the state, called the "Capitol" in the film, to the people of the 12 districts. That message is, essentially, "We own you". It's a message that is perceived to be necessary, being that there was a rebellion against the Capitol historically. The Hunger Games is a science fiction tale about rebellion against an oppressive government entity, which while isn't a particularly original concept, is explored with great skill in the novels, and in this film as well. It's a film which is skillfully made. It espouses individuality and freedom, and it espouses it with a tale that is engrossing and entertaining. Please see this film, and I implore you to read the books as well.