Katniss, through her bravery and character, beats President Snow at his own Game (literally) and began a revolution that inspired broken spirits.

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2012)

The Hunger Games is based off of the book by the same title written by Suzanne Collins. The story is post-apocalyptic and centers around a girl, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who must fight to stay alive when she volunteers in her sister Prim's (Willow Shields) place in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is an annual fight to the death occurrence in the fictitious nation of Panem, which consists of a Capital and twelve districts. The Games is means of punishing by the Capital against the poor districts because of rebellions that happened in the past. At the Reaping (lottery), each district must offer a boy and a girl (called tributes) to fight in the Games. The sole survivor of the Games is rewarded with fame and riches to last for their rest of their lives. The premise of the movie is the strength of character and how hope can flourish from just a small spark.
Katniss must leave her best friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), unstable mother (Paula Malcomson), and younger sister behind as she is paired up with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) in the Games. Katniss and Peeta are joined on their journey to the Capital by former Games victors, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks). Katniss and Peeta, who become portrayed as star-crossed lovers thanks to Peeta, become unlikely favorites as the Games get underway. The televised competition is fierce and unforgiving as tributes die off either on account of fighting or the contrived elements of the Games. Katniss and Peeta are the last ones alive, but soon discover the Capital only wants one to win. A quick ploy by Katniss disrupts this plan and both are proclaimed victors, but not without upsetting the President (Donald Sutherland).
Throughout the movie, the audience watches Katniss as she bravely fights against all odds. Although she may not be as highly trained as some of the tributes, she is passionate about staying alive for her sister and mother back home. Although a kind person, she takes on the role of hunter as she plays the games to win. She somehow manages to walk the line between being "good" at the Games and still defiant of the Capital's imperious ways. Although none of the tributes deserve their untimely deaths, the audience roots for Katniss as she skillfully plays the game. The movie is reminiscent of The Running Man (1987), a science fiction-action movie where "contestants", who were convicted killers, must ward off killers in a televised slaughter. Like the Games, the main character, Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a wrongfully convicted man who ultimately is fighting a resistance against the government. Although he must participate in the deaths of his fellow contestants, Richards is victorious and the movie ends with hope. The Games has both magnificent colors and special effects to portray the brilliance of the characters and life in general in the Capital. District 12 is a drab, dark place where people are struggling to stay alive. Everyone wears shabby clothes and their homes are anything but fancy. But when Katniss and Peeta arrive at the Capital, the colors are vibrant and the scenery comes to life. The people of the Capital wear extraordinary costumes and makeup and live in palace-like buildings. The lights of the city are bright and everything is clean. The people of the Capital truly live in a different world. The Games, although fictitious, represents a future world that occurs as the result of the oppression of the common people. It takes the courage and bravery of one young woman to ignite the spirit of the people. Although she must fight for her life while taking the lives of others, she becomes a ray of light for her dark world. Katniss, through her bravery and character, beat President Snow at his own Game (literally) and began a revolution that inspired broken spirits.