By Sunday night of the opening weekend of “The Hunger Games,” I’d already seen the movie twice. The first viewing was a terrific midnight showing in conjunction with a charity action (to fight hunger, naturally) where my friend and I mingled with other die-hard fans, and even briefly wound up on the NBC Nightly News. Then, I was lucky enough to get on the list for ”The Hunger Games” private viewing, a terrific and sold-out event sponsored by SCWSC, YSU, and YCSA. Though I was planning to attend both showings just for fun, seeing the movie twice allowed me to more fully appreciate its stunning visuals, complex and emotional plot, and many talented actors.
If you are looking for an exact replica of Suzanne Collins’s bestselling book transferred to the big screen, don’t get your hopes up. This movie is not the book’s twin but its companion, its complement. While the book is written as a first-person narrative, letting the reader into the mind of the tough heroine, the movie expands beyond that limited perspective to the behind-the-scenes workings of the Capitol and its Gamemakers. The movie allows for a wider exploration into the dystopian world of ”The Hunger Games.”
The movie opens by briefly describing what the Hunger Games are: the 12 districts of Panem, in punishment for their rebellion 74 years ago, must each year send one boy and one girl to the Capitol to take part in a grotesque tournament in which they must fight to the death until only one person, or Tribute, survives. Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, a teenage girl from the poor coal-mining District 12, volunteers as Tribute when her younger sister’s name is called. Katniss, who secretly learned to hunt in order to feed her starving family after her father died, actually has many of the practical survival skills that can help her win the Games. Recognizing this, a host of memorable characters, including her mentor, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), her clothing designer, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), and of course her fellow Tribute, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), come together to strategize a victory for the underdog District 12, and hopefully strike a blow against the carefully planned Games.
One of the highlights of the movie was director Gary Ross’s interpretation of the Capitol, a place of decadence and shallowness. The bright colors and inventive fashions contrast strongly with the drabness of the Districts, especially when the Capitol Representative to District 12, Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) minces her way onscreen to choose the Tributes. Banks, along with the outrageous television host Caesar Flickerman, expertly played by Stanley Tucci, somehow add just the right amount of humor to an otherwise grim plot.
While “The Hunger Games” has been a huge hit at the box office, one aspect of the movie that could use improvement is the computer graphics. In one dramatic scene, the flames of a forest fire are far from believable. Another key element, the genetically altered canine beasts, or “muttations,” do not have the same personality which makes them so terrifying in the books. I was also very disappointed not to have seen a single mockingjay, the symbolic bird representing the Districts’ growing resentment towards the affluent, complacent Capitol.
“The Hunger Games” is not only a terrific movie but also conveys an important message. One of the most moving scenes in my opinion was seeing Haymitch’s disgust as a Capitol child celebrated the Hunger Games holiday by pretending to stab his sister with a toy sword as their parents looked on in adoration. To the Capitol citizens, the violence of the Arena is just a game, while to the Gamemakers and leaders, including the quietly terrifying President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the Games are a cleverly designed method of political control. In our own world, where political unrest is a daily occurrence, “The Hunger Games” reminds us of the terrible results that total control can wreak.