The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks

Directed by Gary Ross

The Story:
As punishment for a past rebellion, the country of Panem has split everyone into twelve different districts.  Each year the districts select one male and one female of teenage years to compete in the Hunger Games - where they fight to the death, and only one makes it out alive. 

For District 12, it was Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who were selected by random draw by Capitol official Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks).  Primrose's older sister, Katness (Jennifer Lawrence), volunteers as tribute to take Primrose's place in the Hunger Games in order to protect her.

Peeta and Katness are taken to the Capitol, where they undergo rigorous training - including fighting, public appearances, and counseling - before the Hunger Games begin.  Katness is first seen by their mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) as unimportant and a loser soon garners praise in his eyes with her flamboyant attitude and tough-as-nails exterior.  She soon becomes the darling of the Capitol, drawing the attention of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). 

Finally the games begin, and it's all out war as all the tributes begin killing one another, and Katness uses her prowess and archery expertise to survive and come out of the Hunger Games the victor.

The Synopsis:
**Spoiler: I have not read the series, so I am basing my entire review off the film, so if you don't like it because it goes against the novel, I never read it**

There have been several young adult novels that have been made into big budget films, such as the "Twilight," "Divergent" and "Harry Potter" series, but several of them fall absolutely flat, including "Mortal Instruments" and "Beautiful Creatures."  With "The Hunger Games," the success is widespread, and with good reason.

First of all is the story.  It takes place in the future, but it's a story as old as time itself.  In this world, the government is extremely corrupt, as the rich and influential indulge in overeating and flamboyant attire, while the working class struggle to just eat a loaf of bread.  Instead of spending the money they use on the Hunger Games to help out the other districts, they use it to send young adults to their deaths and film it for everyone to watch. 

This has been done in films and real life.  The Romans celebrated this by sending people into the Colosseum to wage war against each other and animals in a struggle for survival while thousands of spectators watched.  Films like "Battle Royale" and "The Condemned" focus on people killing each other for sport and survival.  "The Hunger Games" offers nothing new, but it does with its lead. 

Very rarely does a film like this feature a female action hero, and Katness Everdeen is that hero.  Jennifer Lawrence brilliantly portrays her as a sensible, intelligent, no-nonsense heroine, but also someone who suffers from fears, insecurities and trying to please other people.  She becomes the voice of the common people, the hero no one expected.

Second is the actors.  This film put Jennifer Lawrence on the map (even though she was already an Oscar-nominated actress for "Winter's Bone"), and caused her to achieve international success, as well as an Oscar.  She haunts the screen with her steely-yet-thoughtful gaze, her determination, and her humanity.  Josh Hutcherson also does a great job as the flawed Peeta - someone no one had any hopes in.  Throw in great supporting performances by great actors Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig and Isabelle Fuhrman and you've got a top notch cast who perform at the top of their games.

Finally is the wild card.  There is one specific death in the film that, seemingly, isn't very integral to the story.  I won't say who it is, but you'll know it when it happens.  It's downright disheartening and moved me in a way I wouldn't expect from a seemingly throwaway character.  This death shows the real heart of the film, and how insanely barbaric it is to see kids killing each other.

Plus the film has featured two phrases that have entered the human conscious and are still spoken today, and will more than likely go down as some of the most iconic phrases in cinema:
"I volunteer as tribute!"
"May the odds be ever in your favor."


All-in-all, its no surprise how well the franchise has performed in the theaters.   

The Summary:
Led by a more-than-capable Jennifer Lawrence and boasting a tremendous supporting cast and a compelling and exciting story, "The Hunger Games" launches the franchise to international success.

The Score: A