It’s a full proof formula. Input a popular teen novel. Add tons of cash. Output a film trilogy (or, in Harry Potter’s case, a seven-logy) that makes the studio millions. Usually the movies are pretty painful, but the most recent input, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a fan’s dream.
The story is set in Panem, a country formally the United States. Panem is divided into 12 desperately impoverished Districts, each with a specialized industry. The Districts serve the Capital, a place where excessiveness is a way of life. The costumes and makeup in the film highlight the extreme disparity between the Haves and the Have-nots in this fictional land.
The Capital hosts an annual tournament where two children between the ages of 12 and 17 are chosen from each District. These 24 young tributes are placed into an elaborate arena to fight until only one remains. The televised tournament is known as The Hunger Games.
Sent to the 74th Hunger Games is Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawerance) from District Twelve. She’s tough, beautiful, and Panem will never be the same after her debut.
Lawerance played a similar character in Debra Granik’s Winter Bone. Fierce, strong, and independent is a niche that fits the young actress. She is phenomenal in this role. The pressure to cast and portray the perfect Katniss was severe as a whole generation of young, impressionable girls were undoubtable going to idolize the character. Other notable performances are Woody Harrelson as Everdeen’s drunk mentor Haymitch Abernathy , Lenny Kravitz as Cenna her kind and supportive stylist, and Amandla Stendberg as sweet Rue, another tribute.
The books are dense with detail and written in first person, so adapting it to a faithful film made many fans skeptical. However, the result was a thoughtful and true production. It will be difficult to understand some things though, if you have not read the books. The shaky cinematography plays a key role in establishing the mood of frenzied desperation in the Districts and in the heroine. The special effects are also on point in the Capital.
The battle scenes in the film were also well-crafted. Dealing with a plot that requires children to participate in a homicidal bloodbath AND trying to keep a PG-13 rating required director Gary Ross to give the audience all of the pieces without putting it together. Visual gore is kept to minimum, but the essence is there, and it is heavy. Dystopian science fiction is never an upper, though.
The Hunger Games is a wonderful adaptation of a book that is all about girl power. Readers want to see and enjoy the onscreen version of their favorite books. Hopefully, studios get the hint and add thoughtfulness to their formula.
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