The race is on, the flag been dropped, my Harry Potter withdrawal has finally come to an end.
The Hunger Games, book and screenplay written by Suzanne Collins and directed by Gary Ross raked in a jaw-dropping $152.5 million over the first weekend in North America, breaking the record of the highest gross for a non-summer opening.
As an avid reader of the book, and the two other books in the trilogy, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, the midnight premier did not disappoint, bringing in many fanatics like me. Although some girls sported “Team Gale” and Team Peeta” shirts much like the shirts which the Twilight Saga have induced, the similarities more or less stop there thank God!
The film is centered around Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who lives in the post-apocalyptic world of Panem, which is North America. As a reminder to the citizens of the country, every year a girl and a boy from the 12 surrounding Districts between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from a lottery to battle to the death in an arena, which is shown on live television. After Katniss’s younger sister, Prim is chosen, she volunteers to take her place as the girl tribute in the games.
Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is then chosen as the boy tribute, who later announces his affection for Katniss in a live interview. What starts out as an apparent ploy to gain popularity with the audience, soon becomes real to Katniss as the games play out.
Although not in as many scenes as I would have liked, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) portrays his character well. He’s contemplative and brooding, and exactly how I pictured his character to be.
However, I disagreed with how most of his scenes were incorporated into the film. Once the games begin, Gale tries to go about his normal life in District 12, trying to avoid the almost undeniable truth that Katniss will not return home, all while trying to come to terms with the budding romance that he sees his best friend fall into.
My question is why was this not shown in the movie? Almost the only time that Gale is shown during the extent of the Hunger Games, is when there’s affection depicted between Katniss and Peeta.
Although the filmmakers intention may have been to merely remind the audience that there’s a sort of love triangle, and that Gale should be kept in mind, the reaction of the theatre was of comic relief, not exactly what they were going for.
Like the book, first published on Sept. 14, 2008, there is some graphic violence, but to appeal to a broader audience, keeping younger children in mind, some of the actual violence is eluded with fancy editing, cutting away at the last second.
One of the cinematic aspects that I really loved throughout the film was the use of the handheld camera however, as opposed to the large sweeping pans, which are seen in many of the Harry Potter films, giving them a sense of grandeur.
The camera was shaky in both the depiction of District 12, the poorest District, where Katniss and her family lives, as well as during the games itself. In some instances when Katniss is merely running through the woods, the images are so shaky in fact, that blurred shades of green and brown foliage are all that can be seen.
Although dizzying, the point is clear, and I really did feel as if I was right there with the character, experiencing her disorienting sprint through the forest and seeking shelter.
A technique that I thought was very effective as well was that during the lead-up to Katniss entering the arena, there’s barely any music that’s used. In some instances, there’s scarcely any sound at all, let alone music. One of the most striking, and intense scenes in the film were the moments before Katniss enters the arena. She is helped to dress by her stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) and although few words are exchanged, my stomach was in knots and claustrophobia was the only thing I could think of.
Jennifer Lawrence gave a passionate and forceful performance as the heroine protagonist, seemingly carrying the film by her interpretation of Katniss; with emotion, yet strength, insecurity and bravery, all wrapped up in one facial expression at a time.
As a fan of many book-turned-movies, my number one fear is always that the movie will never be able to live up to the expectation in my head. Of course the movie won’t be the same, that’s why it’s called an adaptation. But while some films stray from the original plot, or cut characters that are unimportant, The Hunger Games does nothing of the sort.
Usually with a film like this, where the hype has been elevated to such a level that it’s almost a religious experience, the film falls short, however this is not the case for The Hunger Games. The film is true to the book, and with the exception of a couple of scenes, I found it to be exactly what I expected, if not more.
Pre-production has already begun for Catching Fire , and the cast will fly back to Asheville, North Carolina for another summer of filming, while the film is set to be released on Nov. 22, 2013.
With over a year and a half to go before the next installation in the trilogy, fans like me will just have to be patient. However, as casting for this film has already begun, that will definitely tide me over, with questions of who will play beloved characters such as Johanna Mason, Wiress, Mags, or the swoon-worthy Finnick Odair.
Written by: Stef Broos
“Arrest her and I’ll pull your balls through your assholes!”
