Based on a popular series written by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games film, directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) became a phenomenon even before its release on March 23. With midnight screenings and long lines, the movie was already estimated to make $155 million at the box office this weekend, putting it just behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2 million) and The Dark Knight ($158.4 million). With all that hype, it’s tough to go into the film with a clear and unbiased judgement, but I did my best. So here it is: I found it to be lacking of depth, character and explanation. I also found it to be quite boring.
After a civil unrest, North America has been divided into 12 districts who offer up a male and a female participant every year to participant in The Hunger Games, a battle to the death with one left standing. In one of the districts, a young girl is chosen and her sister (Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone, X-Men: First Class), Katniss, volunteers in her place. After lengthy “training,” Katniss and her male counterpart, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right), are released into the “wilderness” and compete to survive. (I say “training” because it was only implied and never really shown, and “wilderness” because it was clearly some sort of fabricated world that was not explained.)
No, I have not read any of the books, and that is my first complaint. Without reading the book, there was not nearly enough description, explanation or clarification as to what was going on in the film. The Harry Potter series was also a set of books that were adapted, but in those films, the screenplay became it’s own and could stand apart from the book. Reading the books only enhanced your experience of the Harry Potter series; it was not required reading. In this film, “Why?” was a question that I would ask myself in nearly every scene, and I never got answers.
There was also not nearly enough character development, as I was not emotionally invested in anyone. I saw people in my theater weeping at a scene that, although sad, did not affect me. There was a considerable lack of tension in any battle sequence because the brutality was not shown, only implied. Oddly enough, this is being marketed for younger people, and the subject matter is anything but that. It’s got a PG-13 rating that really strangles any chance at a decent battle sequence.
It’s difficult to talk about all the other aspects of the film that bothered me without revealing too much of the story. For those who have read the books, you’ll have no problem with following along and will likely enjoy seeing it on film.
SPOILER/RANT 12-18 is a HUGE age range. Clearly the 18-year-old has more of an advantage against a 12-year-old. How’s that make sense? How about just 18-year olds? Aren’t there enough? What about the districts? Only 12? That beginning when they are all gathered for the lottery is definitely not all the children eligible in the district. Think of how many people there are just in a state, and there are 50 of them in the U.S. alone! Also, if this is a televised event, why wasn’t more of that shown? Who are these “sponsors” and what do they get out of it? Who benefits? Who’s betting? What and why do they bet? How did it come to this? At least make the character as clueless as the audience. And what do the participants win? They get to go home? Is that it? Really? I was especially bothered by the decisions made by Katniss near the end. She sacrificed her morals to survive. What message does that send to young people? And what about her idea to commit suicide? Seriously? You don’t want to hold on that for a bit? I understand that you need to move the film along, but that’s a decision that she comes to quite quickly. END SPOILER/RANT
If you’re looking for a fun action flick to take your kids to, don’t do it. There may be people dressed in silly costumes, but there is nothing silly about the film; it’s a brutal tale. I just don’t see the appeal of it. I almost want to read the books now just to see if there is anything redeeming, because the film certainly did not leave me with any hope in humanity.
Rating: Left me with more questions than answers, and did not leave me looking forward to more in the series. 2/10
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