Sometimes, I think I must live in a cave. Harry Potter was a phenomenon that I understood, but I was still trying to wrap my head around why the Twilight series was so popular, and then suddenly they announced that a movie was being made based on some book called The Hunger Games. The world went crazy. And I thought, "huh, where the heck did this come from?!" Apparently, this trilogy of books came out and became an instant blockbuster, and I completely missed it. And now that the movie was coming out, everyone I knew was really excited.
When I finally read the plot synopsis for the film, my initial reaction was that it was a ripoff of Battle Royale, the Japanese cult classic that pits teenagers and pre-teens against each other in a brutal fight to the death. Now, that I've seen the movie, I am happy to report The Hunger Games is no ripoff of Battle Royale. If anything, it evokes the old Greek myth of Theseus, with a small dash of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Running Man thrown in. But the blend works.
I'm sure everyone knows the plot of the film by now. But for the five of you who have not heard of The Hunger Games, here you go. Every year in the futuristic nation of Panem, two teenagers are selected from each District as both tribute and punishment for past rebellions. These kids are brought to the capital, trained to fight and then thrown into battle against each other until there is only one survivor. The battle is, of course, watched by everyone in the country. From District 12 comes Katniss (Winter's Bone's Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, Zathura). She's tough, resilient, independent, and a killer shot with a bow. But is she going to be good enough to survive this brutal game and bring hope and glory to her downtrodden District?
There is a lot to like in this movie. The cast is superb and surprising. When I think a dystopian future, I do not think of Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, or Stanley Tucci. Not at all. But every single one of them pulls off their role with panache and skill. This cast is probably the most pleasant surprise of the film. The art direction is also top notch. The film does a nice job of combining Greco-Roman influences with a truly futuristic look and feel. I also like what writer-director Gary Ross (Sea Biscuit) brought to the film. Granted, I have not read the books, but I thought the script and the direction had heft and weight to it, giving the film an importance that most studios wouldn't usually give to a young adult franchise (ahem, Twilight, cough cough).
But while the film was good, there were some issues that kept it from being great. For one thing, Gary Ross depends WAY too much on shaky cam in a mistaken belief that it will add grittiness and realism to the economically depressed District 12. Really, Gary, do we need shaky cam when we are looking at an old guy on a rocking chair?? What does that add to the movie???? It gave me motion sickness and I know I am not alone. A lot of people seem to be complaining about this, and GOOD. Shaky cam is overused and generally used poorly. It certainly is completely unnecessary here and burdens the movie. And it is a surprise to me because I've never seen Ross use this technique in his other films. Oh, well.
There are also some minor complaints. SPOILERS HERE. I thought Cato was kind of a lame bad guy and nowhere near as menacing as the vicious little brunette who gets killed off in an unsatisfactory way. I didn't like that Peeta seemed to somehow have a really complex paint and makeup kit with him in the forest...and I'm not sure where he was hiding it for most of the game. I didn't think the relationship between Katniss and Rue was set up very well. So when their story arc reached its conclusion, I certainly didn't feel the emotional wallop that the movie wanted me to feel. I also thought the final fight involving Cato and the CGI wolf things was underwhelming. And I have to wonder - if in this future, they can make flesh and blood wolf things appear out of nothing, then why do they need all those resources, like simple coal and oil, from the other districts? Can't they just materialize coal out of thin air, too? Seems like it would be easy to me...
Anyway, The Hunger Games overall was a pleasant surprise. It was not a great film, but it was a pretty good one. I'll be curious to see how this trilogy develops.
MVP:
Can there be any doubt? Jennifer Lawrence takes this film and kicks its butt. She is fantastic here. She is the real winner, showing that she not only can hold her own in dramas, but can also carry a franchise on her shoulders. She is a clear MVP. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Side note: In a weird sort of way, I could imagine this as a sequel to Winter's Bone. District 12 is an awful lot like the bleak Ozark setting of that film. And there are definite similarities between Katniss and Ree. Both are resilient young women who have to care for their siblings because mom has checked out after the death of their father. Katniss and Ree are both good hunters, have a clever head on their shoulders, and are absolutely determined to do what they have to do for their family. It's almost like Winter's Bone is about Katniss finding out what happened to her father and his meth lab, and then she gets picked as tribute for the Hunger Games. And please, realize, I am completely joking about this. But I couldn't help thinking and chuckling about it when I was watching the movie. The similarities are there!!!
BEST LINE:
Peeta: I keep wishing I could think of a way to show them they don't own me. If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me. Does that make any sense?
Katniss: Yeah, I just can't afford to think that way.
TRIVIA:
The setting for The Hunger Games is the fictional country of Panem. The name is derived from the Latin expression, "panem et circenses," which means 'bread and circuses.' Basically, this was the old Roman expression for how the emperors controlled the people of the Empire - by giving them bread and violent games like gladiator matches. It's a clever and accurate name given the subject matter of the film. Also, to me, it also sounds similar to Panam, implying 'PanAmerican' and some sort of future where North and South America merge into one huge super country.
