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Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Lenny Kravitz     

Director: Gary Ross
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson
Genre(s): Action, Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: March 23, 2012
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%




Adapting a beloved, best-selling novel for the big screen is no easy task.  Many have failed, and when this occurs, legions of fans are upset.  Sub-plots and minor, fairly insignificant details are destined to be eliminated from the script, but fans expect the book's original themes, plot(s), and characters are intact.  Many who have loved Suzanne Collins' wonderful post-apocalyptic trilogy -- The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay -- were anxious (myself included) to see if director Gary Ross' film adaption could live up to its hefty, meaningful source material.  Luckily, we can all breathe a sigh of a relief.

Ross has become as successful as the Harry Potter films' directors in remaining faithful to the novel(s), and perhaps even more so.  The Hunger Games' primary strength relies on the excellent casting of all roles, both significant and minor.  Those who were concerned that Jennifer Lawrence was too pretty, curvy, and old -- she was 20 when she was cast as the 16-year-old Katniss -- need not worry.  As in her Oscar-nominated performance in Winter's Bone, Lawrence is fully committed to the role.  She embodies the fearless, determined spirit of Katniss, who appears to not be cognizant of her own beauty.  What I've found so brilliant about her acting is that she's able to convey so much by saying so little, a talent that few young actresses (or actors) possess.

While Lawrence's performation steers the movie in the direction that it needs to go, her fellow cast members contribute to the movie's authentic feel -- despite the Capitol's fancy machinery and the dystopian atmosphere, we believe in their actions, and we root for Katniss, Peeta (The Kids Are All Right's Josh Hutcherson), and the others.  My mom was correct in predicting that Hutcherson, who starred in family-friend flicks such Bridge to Terabithia, would someday be a "star."  The once-chubby child star has become a handsome, muscled young actor who may and will attain leading man status.  By utilizing flashbacks sparingly, just enough time is spent explaining the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. 

Avoiding spoilers, I will say that a love triangle consisting of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale (The Last Song's Liam Hemsworth) is expertly foreshadowed at one point.  Additionally, we only saw a glimpse of Hemsworth's acting abilities, but from what we have seen he is more than capable of holding up his share of the triangle. 

Wes Bentley (Seneca Crane) and Woody Harrelson (Haymitch) are similarly effective in their relatively small roles.  And, in a surprising casting decision, rocker Lenny Kravitz shines as Katniss' stylist and unlikely ally.  Donald Sutherland, as evil President Snow, was not particularly impressive, though I am hoping his more pivotal role in the sequels -- which, considering the early success of the film, I am more than positive will be made -- will cause him to step up his performance.

Of course, it is not merely the performances that makes The Hunger Games the best movie of 2012 (thus far).  The original score is supremely fitting, as well as the appropriate sets -- the drab, woodsy atmosphere of Katniss and Peeta's home (District 12) accurately reflect the inhabitants' depressing and starved lifestyles.  Likewise, the magnificently fancy and pearly white setting of the Capitol, which contrasts beautifully with that of District 12, reflects the eccentric and wealthy lifestyle of its inhabitants. 

The shaky camera is dizzying at first, but gradually one becomes accustomed to it, and this technique is especially useful during the brutal -- but not grotesquely so, as it stays within the limits of a PG-13 rating -- scenes of the actual Hunger Games. 

The ending leaves ample opening for the sequel, yet the film also succeeds as a stand-alone film.  Hopefully, Catching Fire and Mockingjay will be equally magnificent.  If Ross, Lawrence, Hutcherson, and the rest remain on board, then I thoroughly believe this will be true. 


Grade: A
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