REVIEW - THE HUNGER GAMES

I’m prefacing this review with the fact that I have not read any of these books, and have a limited idea of what they are about. With that said, it shouldn’t matter, but it felt like it did matter, just a few times in the movie; nothing too big, though.

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future where war has left the world in tatters, what’s left of society is segregated into 12 “districts”, and the “hunger games” itself is a competition where two kids from each district are forced to compete to the death in a confined jungle “arena”.

That’s the plot of this movie, and I like it; it’s essentially a parabolic tale of society’s affinity for voyeurism and sadistic competition. I haven’t seen the movie people claim this rips off (Battle Royale), but it seems similar to other movies like The Running Man and Death Race, where mortality is exploited for reality television. On top of that, though, The Hunger Games has layered on a very clear--and literal--representation of class warfare, with its caste system of “districts“ where one class of affluent people is dependant upon and oppressive of the lower class. All of that is great, and the film actually presents that world very well, so it feels similar to something like Children of Men (without the subtlety), and I was even reminded of the city of Ba Sing Se on Avatar: The Last Airbender; that’s just me. Those are great comparisons, in my opinion, and I mean them to be complimentary.

For some reason Gary Ross is not directing the sequel, and I don’t know why. There is no problem with the direction of this movie. The shaky cam adds to the idea that we’re seeing reality unfold, so I don’t get why everyone was so unsatisfied with the job he did. Everything that he was responsible for worked here. The pacing is good. The staging works, even though parts of the “futuristic” settings and wardrobe feel like a bad ‘80s music video, and there are some moments where the action looks like kids playing in the park. Other than those small things, the movie is directed very well.

Jennifer Lawrence is great. Her performance as Katniss Everdeen made me believe that she’s not some great hunter or warrior, but she has the strength of character to persevere. She’s reluctant to play their “games”, both those of the competition and the pomp and circumstance which surround them. Everything about her seems authentic, except for anything that has anything to do with Peeta.

Therein lies the singular problem I have with The Hunger Games, and it’s what makes me fearful for the future films in this series. Why the fuck does Peeta even exist? The only purpose that character serves is to show how great Gale is, by comparison. Everything about Peeta says the character we’ve been shown that Katniss is should have nothing to do with this Peeta jerk. He has absolutely no reluctance toward playing the politics of these games. He willfully joins the other tributes to hunt Katniss. He’s a creep, and don’t even get me started on the fact that he can camouflage himself entirely, using only what exactly? Mud and berries? Oh, but he decorated cakes! Forgive me. Anyway, his presence and that entire love story completely ruined the end of this movie, for me, because it made absolutely no sense. What really makes me hate Katniss and Peeta together is that it’s a parallel to something the movie is actually meant to deride. Within the movie, the show’s producers (or whatever they should be called) decide to exploit the “relationship” between Katniss and Peeta for *spoilery reasons that I‘m not going into*. The show’s producers create an “angle” with this relationship, and that’s precisely what the movie is doing with the relationship. The relationship is unnecessary, and we know Katniss should not have anything to do with Peeta, but the movie makes it happen, anyway, just so it has another plot device.

Like I said, I haven’t read the books, but I would guess the sequel sees the Katniss/Peeta storyline turn into a Katniss/Peeta/Gale triangle where, for some reason, Katniss actually can’t choose between the two of them. If so, I do not look forward to seeing Twilight redux, where Katniss is turned into some imbecilic Bella Swan with a bow and arrow.

Whether or not the sequel will be any good, The Hunger Games does happen to be roughly 95% of a really good movie… if only Peeta was, I don’t know, killed to death. Definitely recommend checking it out.

-JOHN

For a second opinion check out Steven's HUNGER GAMES REVIEW