There always seems to be hype surrounding film adaptations of bestselling book series. It happened with “Harry Potter” and “Twilight.” The difference between those series and the most recent book series cum movie franchise, “The Hunger Games,” is that the latter does not disappoint.
The first silver screen installment of the trilogy is set in post-apocalyptic North America, now called Panem. The country is divided into 12 districts, plus the Capital. As punishment for an ancient uprising between the districts, the Capital selects one male and one female teenager from each district to be placed in an arena, where the teens, called tributes, are to fight to the death. It is mandated that all residents of Panem watch their children kill one another in a twisted reality television program. This annual form of entertainment is what gives the series its title, the Hunger Games. When Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister is selected for District 12, the poorest district, Katniss volunteers to replace her. Katniss must fight, think and lie to survive.
Director Gary Ross is ideal for the project. The storytelling was clear, without sacrificing the tone of desperation the story demands. Arguably the most difficult task, handling the tributes killing each other, was done masterfully. Ross walked the tightrope between making the events taking place clear, yet sensitively limiting how much of the actual child-on-child violence is shown. Ross, who co-wrote the screenplay with series author Suzanne Collins, made some slight plot changes, such as a riot in District 11 upon the death of one of their tributes. However, all of creative liberties tightened the plot up for the time-limited medium of film.
Casting the hit-to-be was surprisingly less than controversial. In the lead role of Katniss, Jennifer Lawrence was terrific. She handled the life-and-death roller coaster of Katniss’ emotions flawlessly. Despite the mature situations the plot presents, Lawrence never seemed to forget Katniss is still a teenager, and therefore subject to the periodic idiocy and mood swings of that life stage.
As for the fan favorite role of Peeta, the male tribute from District 12 who is in love with Katniss, there was a great deal of pressure from fans for Josh Hutcherson to ace the role. He was the standout of the film. It is considerably easy to play someone fighting for their life when compared to Peeta, who goes in to the arena assuming he will die. Hutcherson played Peeta with compassion and charisma.
Team Edward and Team Jacob can step aside. Balancing out the seemingly perfect Peeta is Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Katniss’ best friend from home, who just happens to resemble a Greek god with the charm of a Disney prince. Hemsworth’s best moments were the glimpses of him during and after the Games, when he must watch his best friend die, kiss a boy other than him and display his joy at Katniss’ return, hampered only by her interactions with Peeta. Later movies, where Gale will likely have a much bolder presence, are to be looked forward to.
There was a strong Hollywood cohort in the film, as well. Donald Sutherland was quietly terrifying as Panem’s president, Coriolanus Snow. Elizabeth Banks’ delusional but caring Effie was sheer delight. The least obvious casting choice was Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz, who played Katniss’ stylist with calm grace. The film is rare in that there are no weak casting choices.
The film’s design team is a force to be reckoned with. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky deserves an Oscar nod for her range of fashion work on this film. She creates a bright, candy-colored geometric style of the future for the Capital citizens, while her designs harken back to the Great Depression for the aesthetic of District 12. The various sets were unlike anything that exists today. Impressively, the film displayed only limited sequences of CGI. Even the massive Cornucopia structure was tangible.
The film is as faithful to the original text as possible, only diverting from the book to make improvements. Any fan of the series will love the film, and those who have no idea what a Tracker Jacker or a mockingjay are will be able to fall into the world of “The Hunger Games,” which is the ultimate goal of any adaptation.
Alissa Mesibov can be reached for comment at [email protected].
