So its beaten a lot of records, big ones to be precise. Gaining $155 million in the box office in a very short time, its debut only having been beaten by Harry Potter and The Dark Knight. Many people, apart from the teen audience, are scratching their heads wondering what the Hunger Games is really all about and why has there been such a fuss made over it.
Set in a future America called Panem, it tells the story of how each year 24 “tributes” (boys and girls aged between 12 and 18) are picked to duke it out in a hellish arena until only one of them survives. Pretty morbid right?
It would have been easy for the studio to get someone to make a play by play retelling of the book but they haven’t. Fair enough it doesn’t stray too far away from its original source material but this is a film with style, substance and heart unlike the Twilight franchise which has the feel of a T.V. movie.
Gary Ross uses hand held excellently during the gorier parts to keep the suspense going, craftily helping it escape a 15 rating making it more accessible to a younger audience.
But the real star of the show is Jennifer Lawrence. I would hate to think what this film would be like with a different actress playing the title role. Her portrayal of the hardened hunter girl Katniss Everdeen is spot on. You can see the reflections of her character in Winters Bone which she gained an Oscar Nod for. She pulls the film together brilliantly helped with great performances from Woody Harrelson as her drunken mentor and Donald Sutherland as the wise and deadly President Snow.
What resonates most about this film is the fact that it plays with the idea of the reality show culture that is so strong in today’s society. From the overly vapid and colourful people of the Capitol (a futuristic L.A.) to the Game makers ( Directors of the televised Hunger Games “show” ) it makes the idea of this future seem realistic and altogether frightening. This film will linger in your mind long after viewing. It might not be the perfect movie, those are hard to find, but the main concept behind it is original and thought provoking. Don’t get fooled into thinking this is one for the teens, everyone would enjoy The Hunger Games. Well maybe not your 85 year old Grandmother, maybe best not to bring her to it.
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