A great dystopian adventure

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2012)

Some time in the future in what was once America there has been an uprising; it was put down and now each year each of the twelve outlying districts must send two young people; one boy, one girl, to participate in the Hunger Games: here they must compete until only one is left alive. This year young Primrose Everdeen is selected in the ballot to represent District 12. She has little chance so her elder sister Katniss volunteers to take her place. She is skilled with a bow but the odds will still be stacked against her as some districts train people all of their lives for the games. Once selected, she is taken to the Capitol, along with Peeta Mellark the boy who will represent their district. Here they meet the other competitors and work to attract the sponsors who will be vital if one of them is to win. Once the games begin it is everybody for themselves although temporary alliances may form everybody knows only one of them can ultimately survive.
Watching this film I couldn't help but be struck by the number of elements that reminded me of other films; teenagers fighting to the death, 'Battle Royale'; slightly sleazy TV presenter, 'The Running Man' and the leader worried about a contestant becoming too popular, 'Rollerball' to name just three this doesn't mean I thought this was derivative though and it certainly wasn't just 'Battle Royale for Tweenies' as I'd heard some people suggest. The games don't actually start till the film is approaching its midpoint; this means the first half is spent effectively introducing the main characters and the world they live in. Jennifer Lawrence is the undisputed star of the film doing a brilliant job as Katniss; she made the character believable with enough vulnerability for us to worry about her even though it was highly unlikely that she'd be killed she is the heroine after all! Josh Hutcherson did a good enough job as Peeta although his character was obviously less interesting. There were also a few well known names amongst the supporting cast; Woody Harrelson put in a fun turn as their mentor, former District 2 winner, Haymitch Abernathy and Donald Sutherland was suitably sinister as President Snow. Shot in a stunning woodland setting the games are filmed in a way that makes the viewer feel part of the action in a way that was surprisingly tense for a twelve certificate film starring a young cast. I would certainly recommend this for others but think parents might want to watch it first as it might be too frightening for some children even those officially old enough to see it!