THE HUNGER GAMES
***
DIRECTED BY Gary Ross
STARS Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
So, read any good books lately?
As anyone with even the faintest trace of a pulse has heard, The Hunger Games, the eagerly awaited adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ smash bestseller, has finally hit theaters, and even though I’m not Catholic, let me pull up a confessional booth and admit that I’m one of the few sentient beings in this country not to have read the novel. Unlike copious critics who wolf down a book in order to offer a blow-by-blow comparison between text and screen (almost always a losing proposition for the cinematic side), I believe in letting movies stand on their own. And when viewed through this prism at least, The Hunger Games largely delivers on both its provocative premise and its exciting execution.
Set in a future world where the ruling 1 percent long ago squashed a rebellion by the 99 percent, the law dictates that, as perpetual punishment, those once-radical districts — 12 total — must annually send both a boy and a girl, randomly chosen from a pool of 12-to-18-year-olds, to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised ritual in which all 24 contestants are set loose in the outdoors and must kill each other until only one remains. The representatives for District 12, the most impoverished of the outer regions, turn out to be the headstrong Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who volunteered once her little sister’s name was drawn, and the meek Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who’s convinced that he’ll be killed long before the end.
The lengthy first act is compelling, anchored by the strong central performance of Lawrence (whose similar role in Winter’s Bone must have served as her audition tape for this endeavor) and reveling in the introduction of such memorable characters as Caesar Flickman (Stanley Tucci), the unctuous TV host and broadcaster, President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the calculating ruler who hates the working class with the passion of a Republican presidential nominee, and, providing some grizzled heart and off-the-cuff humor, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), whose status as the only District 12 representative to ever win a tournament allows him to serve as the boozy mentor to Katniss and Peeta.
Director Gary Ross, who co-wrote the script with Billy Ray and Collins herself, has a minimalist style that enhanced dialogue-dependent and character-driven efforts like Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, and it’s precisely why the first half works so well — and why the second half needed a stronger presence behind the camera. As the kids scatter into the woods and the picture ratchets up the action, Ross can’t quite keep up. That’s not to say the outdoor scenes ever lack for drama, but a filmmaker with a better feel for kinetic energy — say, Steven Spielberg or even Gore Verbinski — could have turned the winner-takes-all competition into a breathless roller coaster ride. As it stands, the film peters out toward the end, due in large part to a rather anemic duel-to-the-death and in small part to some shoddy visual effects. (In fact, surprisingly lackluster FX work plagues the entire production; for example, the flames emanating from Katniss and Peeta’s much-lauded fire suits are laughably unconvincing).
Still, the relatively few drawbacks are no match for the many strengths — the latter column includes the contributions of Clint Eastwood’s regular cinematographer Tom Stern, who captures both the majesty and the mystery of the North Carolina landscape. If the N.C. Film Office ever needs someone to shoot more promotional videos targeting either potential tourists or potential Tinseltown investors, Stern’s their man.
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Divergent: An OK YA adaptation
This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2012.
I like this review in that it doesn’t throw a hissy fit over the book-to-screen changes, yet I think that because you didn’t read the book, you’re under the misconception that the film fails in certain areas that it was actually trying to steer away from. In reality, it wasn’t trying to be another mindless blockbuster hit, and while it’s true that the special effects weren’t mind-blowing, they were still solid and kept my belief suspended. And that’s good; the special effects were used only as additions to the world–they weren’t supposed to take away from the heart of the movie. As for your beef about the pacing–I don’t think the film was trying to keep you engaged like an action flick would. I think they tried to make it realistic and did well in their endeavor. And personally I think your negative comments are a little nit-picky, and they make me question why you included them at all. I really haven’t met a person who saw the movie and thought that it wasn’t great. Though I respect that you tried to be objective in your review, I think you have the wrong impression of what the film is trying to present, and because of this your review is misrepresentative, like you’re reviewing an indie-flick as if it’s a superhero sequel.
Additionaly, while I don’t think you really found a problem with this: as far as the ‘meaning’ front goes, I can tell you that the first book is comparatively shallow to the second or third. Many of the other reviewers I’ve looked at seem to have forgotten this and are treating the individual piece as if it creates the bigger picture. While a little bit of pulp doesn’t hurt a film, the first movie, in relation to the books, should not feel very heavy if they want to stay accurate to the text. Just something to be aware of if you’ve been reading popular reviews.
Promise me it isn’t as vapid and brain dead as “Twilight” and I will go see it.
Once again BrunBuns feels the need to barf his vapid politics into a review. Need he be reminded that his boy in the White House is a puppet of Lloyd Blankfein, Jon Corzine, AIG, Fannie, Freddie, Solyndra and every other criminal class in the country? Oh and let’s not forget his mass murdering AG Eric “hey buddy you need a thousand AK47s” Holder.
The middle class candidate this go-round is RON MF PAUL.
Mallard, by championing Ron Paul, you have basically revealed yourself to be a complete moron with no understanding of anything. Way to go!
I was hoping to read a review from someone not familiar with the books – and here it is! I completely agree with your assessment. I thought the handheld was used to good effect during the reaping scene – I *felt* what Katniss was feeling – but later on, when wider shots would have worked better, they were absent. The whole thing felt claustrophobic, which is a shame. It was like a sanitized version of the book – prettied up to keep the PG13. Kids killing kids is brutal, but you would never know it from this movie. I highly recommend the book! Much more depth. It’s not incredibly well-written, but the story itself makes up for inadequacies.
Frankly I don’t get what all the love and crap is about. I have to say this is one of the worst books and movies in the world. It actually makes me miss the twilight series. Frankly it’s a over used, boring and depressing plot and I don’t see what all the love for it is about. Frankly this book should of never become as popular as it did. Makes me weep for this generation.