The Hunger Games

Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.

With all the prerelease hype, established phenom comparisons (Twilight, anything Harry Potter), and a storyline that seems more borrowed (Battle Royale) than original, The Hunger Games definitely has its work cut out for it. In order to convince film fans that it's not just the latest lame attempt by Hollywood to latch onto a legitimate literary blockbuster, the results have to stand on their own as a satisfactory cinematic statement.

Luckily, Lionsgate made two wise decisions when crafting this first of a proposed four film treatment of the famed trilogy. First, they hired Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) to bring his unique vision for the project to the screen. They then cast the amazing Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) in the lead. The glorified gamble pays off in ways only fans of serious science fiction can begin to fully fathom. While missing a bit of emotional heft, The Hunger Games ends up being an excellent dystopian fable.

It is 75 years after an unexplained uprising and resulting civil war in a nation now known as Panem. The various districts responsible for the rebellion are now punished by the government, centered in the gauche realm known as The Capital. From there, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) oversees the annual Hunger Games, a kind of competition as retribution.

Each area must select two "tributes" (read: competitors) between the ages of 12 and 18 to send to the arena. Their fight to the death will then be televised. In the coal mining region of District 12, the process finds the little sister of Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) chosen. Katniss, who has been taking care of her sister, volunteers, while local boy Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) fills the other slot. Transported to the Capital by their handlers Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and former Hunger Games champion Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), they prepare for battle.

But first, they must participate in the pre-contest festivities, including a parade and appearances on the TV chat show hosted by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Once involved in the actual challenge, our duo learns that elements can be manipulated by the Games overseer Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley). As the original 24 participants are systematically whittled down, Katniss and Peeta are played as star-crossed lovers for the sake of the on-air storyline.  

With a strong subtext of social commentary and an even more powerful gender proclamation, The Hunger Games succeeds in spite of itself. Clearly, author Suzanne Collins wants to use her narrative as a critique of the haves vs. the have nots, and Ross plays directly into this dynamic. Katniss and her kind are viewed as poor, oppressed, and lacking any real hope. The residents of The Capital, on the other hand, come across as members of a frilly freak show. Their look can best be described as future shock by way of clown college. The costuming is so over the top and tacky that it almost destroys the entire tone. But thanks to Ross, and the amazing work by Lawrence, everything is taken seriously.

Because of its PG-13 rating, the actual contest is a bit underwhelming. An initial melee is edited in such a fashion as to make the implied massacre almost non-existent, and toward the end, when Katniss must struggle against the well-honed alliances of specifically trained teens, there is a lack of brutality. Also missing is a real investment: We do care what happens to the characters, but can't quite experience the powerful payoff the movie believes it is delivering. Still, for what it could have been vs. what it actually is, for all the flaws in both premise and presentation, The Hunger Games is a home run. It will be remembered long after a certain sparkly vampire and his dour gal pal disappear off the cultural map.

View the original article here