The Hunger Games

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2012)

I heard a lot about this film when it was at the cinemas, it was based on a three part book series and was going to be some kind of big deal, so it sounded very similar to the Twilight hype, and I naturally had to see what the big deal was, from director Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit). Basically in the dystopian future world called Panem, twelve districts have been divided to make the nation, every year these nations compete in the Capitol created and seemingly compulsory event called The Hunger Games, where a boy and girl aged between 12 and 18 are selected from each district to compete against the other eleven in a televised fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen (Winter's Bone's Jennifer Lawrence) is the girl from District 12, the first person ever to volunteer for the games, after her younger sister Primrose 'Prim' (Willow Shields) was originally chosen from the lottery, the boy chosen by the lottery as tribute to represent District 12 is Peeta Mellark (Zathura's Josh Hutcherson), the two of them already have a dramatic history. Katniss and Peeta are taken by Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) to the Capitol, they are mentored by past victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) who explains the rules of The Hunger Games, how to get sponsors and the public to like your character and watch the show to create revenue and stuff, and how intensive training will guarantee you win. They begin their training at the special academies, and at the same time have TV interviews, this is where Peeta reveals that he has been in love with Katniss for some time, she is first outraged thinking he wants to win the sponsors for food and weapons that are provided, game commentators Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) and Claudius Templesmith (Toby Jones) see this is a great marketing ploy, but he does mean it about his feelings for her. With Katniss getting a superb score, and Peeta getting a reasonably good score, they are ready to enter The Hunger Games, they begin with most of the tributes from the twelve districts being killed in the first few minutes, but Katniss and Peeta escape and go separate ways through the woods, finding their own ways and other people to help them survive. Throughout the time Katniss escapes many attempts to get her killed, including a trap to tempt her towards some supplies from another district, deadly bees with venomous stings called Tracker Jackers, fires spread by the Gamekeepers to lead her in the intended directions towards her enemies, and she suffers the death of her friend Rue (Amandla Stenberg) from District 11. Some of the districts have become an alliance in order to kill the girl they feel is most likely to win before they will do anything to each other, Katniss eventually reunites with Peeta who has survived some tough ordeals himself, of course throughout the games they have been broadcast all hours and portrayed as star-crossed lovers, but she may only be leading her male companion on for the sponsorship. Finally it comes to the final showdown where the surviving members of Districts 5, 11 and 12 are face to face and will determine the end of the games; of course all are killed in this confrontation, apart from Katniss and Peeta who may both be victorious after the rule change of two winners instead of one. There is a moment where that rule may have changed back again, and Peeta says Katniss should shoot him, but she gives him half of the nightlock instead, the gamekeepers decide not to part the potential lovers and proclaim them both 74th annual Hunger Games victors, they return home, supposedly as true lovers. Also starring Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Donald Sutherland as President Snow, Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane, singer Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Paula Malcomson as Katniss' Mother, Alexander Ludwig as Cato and Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove. Lawrence gives a great feisty and fascinating performance, Hutcherson is pretty alright too as the boy who loves her and vice versa, whereas Twilight is cheesy and often boring, this is actually an engaging story, similar in ways to Battle Royale, with more special effects, but the death hunting is not the only draw, the love story is nice, and the satire about reality television is interesting, for the fans of the books and those who like explosion and fight filled movies this is a terrific futuristic action thriller. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Safe and Sound". Very good!