Set in a post-American America where The Capitol rules over 12 impoverished districts, the televised annual Hunger Games takes place. The city selects one boy and one girl from the ages of 12 to 18 to fight to the death for middle class adult entertainment. Volunteered in her younger sister’s place, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) makes a lasting impression and changes the games forever.
Review
Set in the futuristic America in a state called Panem, the film starts off almost entirely with a sense of doom. The dull grey and poverty-stricken landscape of district 12 echoes the inhabitants. The merging of the downtrodden villagers into their colourless environment creates this sense of hopelessness straight away. All children look terrified and all adults look desperate. Everyone knows about the games but nobody wants to talk about it. The Hunger Games, a taboo subject, where 24 young children are set against each other in a fight for survival… for no reason.
The brutality of the film was not expected! As the youngsters are pushed into the arena, they almost instantly start offing each other. 18 year olds killing innocent 12 year olds was quite shocking to watch. However, director Gary Ross did not focus too much on the blood and guts and more on the disorientation and confusion the tributes must have been feeling through the use of hand held imagery and jolting edits.
What is even more disgusting than children killing each other for the entertainment of the elders, is the scenes with the gameplayers. The gameplayers are a group of adults sitting in a technological looking room; safe from the dangers of the games, with a board that ultimately resembles the arena. If a child goes too near the edge or is taking too long to die, they add in brutal interventions to complete the job. There is one scene where Katniss, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Cato (Alexander Ludwig) are the only survivors, to shake things up a bit the elders put in a weird half dog, half beast creature to kill off the children. As the gameplayers put the dog hybrid in, they’re laughing at the prospects of entertainment this thing will bring to the show. This weird Call Of Duty style aspect in the film made what was happening that more terrifying and sickening!
The beautiful Jennifer Lawrence plays the determined and hardened Katniss with perfection, a perfect heroine! Josh Hutcherson plays the slight pathetic and lovesick Peeta Mellark well, however, the first half an hour of the film his facial expression was half confusion and half constipation, thus failing to portray the emotions he was feeling. But don’t be too disheartened he ups the game in the remaining minutes. Woody Harrelson plays alcoholic Haymitch, a victor of past Hunger Games. The notion of him playing an alcoholic really rings home to the spectator that this event is life changing and will damage anyone long after!
Like all fantasy teen films, there was a love triangle. But what was interesting, this particular instalment did not focus on the love aspect but more importantly on the notion of children killing each others and having to grow up pretty fast to survive what the adults throw at them… literally! There is enough time to explore the teenage romance in the remaining two films so don’t you hopeless romantics worry about that!
The last shot lingering on the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) brings back that hopelessness to the spectator and sets up the second chapter perfectly!
Verdict
A smart, thrilling and mildly terrifying film that is sure to get the spectator worried for their own future!
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour!
4/5
