The Hunger Games (***)

Directed by: Gary Ross

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Tobey Jones, Willow Shields, Amandla Stenberg

Seen: April 13th 2012

*** Out of ****

When I started picking up on the buzz for The Hunger Games I did something I haven't done in quite some time: I read the book before seeing the movie, loved the read; and thus anticipation ran high as I walked into the cinema to see the movie adaptation. As far as adaptations go, The Hunger Games is a reliable version of the story, and I also found one or two slight detail changes to be improvements over the story (maybe Suzanne Collins, the writer of the books and integrally part of the screenplay for this movie, thought of these details as later improvements). I do however think the movie caters slightly more for those who've already read the books than for newcomers to the story, as there were definitely some elements that, for those not familiar with the books, would require some explanation.

In the future, the USA doesn't exist anymore and has been replaced by Panem, a nation of 12 districts governed with extreme prejudice from the Capitol, the opulent seat of power, under President Snow (Sutherland). After oppressing an uprising by the districts, the Capitol instated the annual Hunger Games, a competition where two "tributes" (a boy and a girl, ages 12 to 18) are selected from each district to battle to the death until one victor is left, as a reminder of the Capitol's "forgiving nature" in that everyone is not wiped out.

16 year-old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) lives in District 12, an impoverished place responsible for Panem's mining. When her 12 year-old sister Prim's (Shields) name is drawn in the reaping (selection of tributes) for the 74th annual games, Katniss volunteers in her place, and is forced to leave behind her best friend Gale (Hemsworth), who always accompanied her on her hunting trips, and her mother and sister. Headed to the games with her are fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), their agent of sorts Effie Trinket (Banks), and the only previous winner from District 12, the alcoholic Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson), their supposed mentor.

In the Capitol they're exposed to the gaping chasm between district life and ostentatious Capitol life, and to the Capitol's insatiable hunger for the violent Hunger Games. In preparation for the games the tributes' presentation is important to gain support,  for which their stylist Cinna (Kravitz) does a fantastic job, and they quickly become high profile contenders, just in time for the games to begin, when the 24 contenders are thrown into the wild to fend for themselves and murder whoever they can.

The Hunger Games as a movie doesn't feel as fast paced or tense as the books. To me it felt at times that some major themes from the book were put aside for visual spectacle or simplified somehow since large parts of the books are inner monologues from Katniss' point of view. The production and action in The Hunger Games is first rate, and I really enjoyed the way the characters were brought to life. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta give great performances to convey much of what was told in inner dialogue in the book, with Woody Harrelson reliable and entertaining as always and Stanley Tucci quite amusing as Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman. There is a strange and ever-present innocence that permeates everything, and I love the commentary the story brings about regarding a reality entertainment culture overtaking itself. I am looking forward to seeing the movie adaptations of the next two books, as I think they might be challenging to produce, but I'm also slightly skeptical since Hunger Games director Gary Ross (Pleasantville and Seabiscuit) has indicated that he will be stepping down, leaving the sequels to someone else (something which greatly hurt the X-Men universe after Brian Singer left). I suggest reading the books to enhance the story, but anyone can enjoy The Hunger Games for its action, spectacle, and storytelling; I know I did.