From “Harry Potter” to the “Twilight” saga and even “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” our generation has paved the way for capitalizing off turning every teenage “book” phenomenon into the latest teenage “movie” phenomenon. While some adapted to film a little better than others (i.e. “Harry Potter” over “Twilight”), it is no secret that these films, however cheesy they may be, bring in the majority of Hollywood’s biggest bucks. On the brighter side, not all of these movies fail to meet certain standards in film and are very enjoyable to watch. With the new addition of “The Hunger Games” to the roster, its possible the “Potter” films may have found a bit of a challenge when it comes to quality filmmaking.
The society has been oppressed and separated into 12 different districts by the upper class referred to as the “Capitol.” Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is one of two teenagers selected from each district to participate in a contemporary gladiatorial television show where 24 players battle each other, literally, to the death until one person remains and is crowned the victor. “The Hunger Games” assumes very edgy and somewhat adult themes not often explored in these types of films. I walked away from the theater with an extremely conflicted view of this film. In many different ways, “The Hunger Games” presents very grounded and relatable material while including an abundance of unexplained and ambiguous elements.
While I’m sure the fact that I have not read this series of books directly relates to my ambiguous understanding of the film, as a critic, I do believe the film should stand on its own in the end. The movie tries its best to insert back-story through a small “film within a film” recapping how the country found itself in its current state. Other than the fact that the current oppression of the population resulted from a past uprising against the country’s authorities, the film does little to deliver any kind of understanding to its audience. It would have been nice to see exactly why this particular future is the way it is. Another aspect that was a bit difficult to swallow was the total separation of tones used for the presentation of the Capitol and the 12 districts. On one hand, the Capitol seems to be a product of Tim Burton’s over the top stylized directing, while the districts take on a very gritty, realistic “Great Depression” type of tone. The juxtaposition of these themes sets a clear separation between the two lifestyles, yet they share no connection whatsoever and the audience is left wondering how these two societies ended up so drastically different from one another.
Aside from these weak plot points, when the real meat of the film is set in motion “The Hunger Games” does deliver an extremely visceral and humanistic look at the way these violent tournaments might play out. Interestingly enough this film is geared more toward the younger teenage culture yet it contains acts of violence one might expect to see in films like “Gladiator” or “The Godfather.” What was really unsettling, as a viewer, was the brutal murder after murder of young and seemingly helpless children. While the film as a whole is a commentary on the innate human “survival of the fittest” mindset, there lingers an aura of murder without any kind of physical or mental repercussion. Most of the actors in the film take on an over- the- top caricature of there respectable characters from the book. The real emotion and humanity, however, is beautifully delivered by Lawrence’s subtle but powerful portrayal of Katniss Everdeen. Unlike the tough hardened female heroines commonly seen in action dramas, Lawrence is able to offer a character that is just as doubtful of herself and yet powers through the film with real drive and emotion.
Certain action sequences in the film would have benefited from better directing and handling of the camera. At times it was difficult to orient yourself due to extremely close and jerky camera movements. All in all even though this film is not perfect, the fact that this teen novel can raise so many interesting questions and ideas makes it a film definitely worth taking the time to experience.