Hunger Games about adversity

Rating: 7/10 (24 April 2015)

The Capitol of Panem has been divided into twelve districts. Because of a rebellion that was defeated many years ago it was decided that each district would give one boy and one girl to fight to the death in an annual tournament called The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the coal mining area of Panem known as District 12 with her mother and sister Primrose (Willow Shields). When Primrose is selected to be in The Hunger Games, Katniss "volunteers as tribute" (Jacobson & Ross, 2012) and takes her place in the games alongside her male counterpart Peta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). She has to leave behind her childhood friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), to go to The Capitol. On the way, Katniss and Peta are helped by a former winner of The Games, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson). Katniss and Peta form a bond during the game, and help each other gain favor from the audience by pretending to be in love. In the end Katniss and Peta are the final two tributes. Since there is only allowed to be one survivor they attempt to challenge the Capitol and fake an attempted suicide to allow them both to be named winner.
The theme of this film is about standing up to adversity no matter what the cost is. There are many instances shown throughout this film to show this. One examples is the coal mining District 12 itself. Conditions are hard here and food is in short supply. Katniss goes against the law and travels beyond fenced areas to hunt for food so she can eat and sell on their black market (Jacobson & Ross, 2012) which could mean death for her. One of the two biggest examples in the film is Katniss volunteering as tribute for Primrose (Jacobson & Ross, 2012). Knowing that only one person out of twenty-four will come back alive, Katniss still takes on these odds to ensure the safety of her sister. The other of the big two examples of this theme is when Katniss and Peta stand up to The Capitol and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) by forcing an ultimatum: Either they both live or they both die by suicide and there would be no winner (Jacobson & Ross, 2012). The theme of this film reminds me a lot of the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet directed by Braz Luhrmann. Both Romeo and Juliet have to face the adversity of feuding families no matter what the cost.
A couple of techniques are used throughout the film to help show this theme. The color scheme of the film plays an important role in showing the distress of the different districts, and the adversity they face. District 12 is a shown in a way that attempts to take the color out of the scenes without actually doing so. District 11, the home of Rue (Amandla Stenberg), is also shown in this light. Another technique used is angles. There are many shots taken from above to show us looking down on to the tributes. The use of these angles has a way of putting the audience in a position that we feel like we are actually watching The Hunger Games being broadcast by The Capitol. One such scene is at the end of the film when Katniss and Peta are fighting Cato (Alexander Ludwig) on top of the Cornucopia (Jacobson & Ross, 2012). Likewise, there are angles being shot upward as if we are watching the fallen tributes in the sky right next to Katniss.
The theme of standing up to adversity no matter the cost is something that I think many hope they could do. When there is a great injustice being done to you or a loved one could you take their place or even give your own life?