The Hunger Games is the first novel in Suzanne Collin’s best-selling trilogy. The series has sold over 26 million books since its publication in 2008 and fans of the books had massive expectations for the first movie in the series.
In the future, the United States has been reborn as Panem, which is made up of 12 districts governed by the Capitol. As punishment for a previous rebellion, the capitol forces each district to draw one boy and one girl aged 12-18 and has them fight to the death on live television once a year in an event called the Hunger Games. The winner gets riches for their entire district.
The movie is focused on Katniss Everdeen (Oscar-nominated Jennifer Lawrence), a 16-year-old girl living in District 12, the poorest district. Katniss has provided for her mother and sister Prim since the death of her father. Her father died when hunting in the forbidden woods outside the district. When Prim is chosen for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place, which is unprecedented in the district. She is joined by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a baker’s son, to represent their district in a contest facing competitors that range from those who have been training for their whole lives for the Games to cannon fodder.
When a series starts, its goal is to introduce the viewer to the world that we will be spending time with for multiple instalments. From the washed-out poverty of District 12 to the gaudy decadence of the Capitol, the film’s cinematography helps make the viewer feel as if they are part of this world.
The sound also plays a big role. The music, sound cues and use of silence work alongside the cinematography and editing to establish a mood and tone of the film.
However, during the Games portion of the movie there is a lot of camera shake; the film is the latest victim of the shaky-cam that plagues action films. It’s done to avoid an R-rating and in one scene it works, but it’s disorienting and you have trouble following the action.
The movie is very faithful to the book, with only a few cosmetic changes. Fans of the novel should not have any issue with the adaptation it received. This faithful adaptation also keeps the themes of the novel intact, allowing viewers to think about issues such as rebellion, totalitarian governments and the modern media, long after the movie has finished. That isn’t common in blockbusters at all anymore.
Finally, it’s nice to see a movie with a strong female lead. Lawrence’s Katniss is skilled, capable and not a damsel-in-distress for most of the movie. It’s a welcome change of pace.
Move over John Carter – this is the first true blockbuster of the year. The Hunger Games should satisfy the most hardcore fan of the novels, while easing new converts into its world.