Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, Wes Bentley
Release: 17 August 2012
Based on the wildly popular young-adult novels by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games finds us in a dystopian future where every year 24 children must fight to the death. As both a punishment for past uprisings and a reminder of the Capitol government's supremacy, one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts of Panem are offered as "tributes" to compete in the Hunger Games - from which only one returns as a victor. Our unlikely heroes are Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the impoverished District 12. With the help of their mentor, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), their stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) and the District 12 representative Effie Trinket, (Elizabeth Banks), they must find a way to overcome their disadvantaged background and beat the odds to survive.
"May the odds be ever in your favour," says President Snow (Donald Sutherland). But in spite of this oft-quoted tag line, the odds are rarely in anyone's favour as the 'Gamemakers', led by Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), are controlling everything that happens in the arena. Citizens of the Capitol and beyond watch the Games like we would watching something like Big Brother, complete with witty commentary by hosts Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) and Claudius Templesmith (Toby Jones), and bookies take bets on which children will perish first.
Director Gary Ross handles the material with a certain finesse, creating edge-of-your-seat action without too much gore, despite the slightly odd and at times gruesome premise of the story.
Cinematography and costumes are top notch, seamlessly creating a bleak futuristic vision that, scarily, is not too hard to image. The Hunger Games has something for everyone: action, adventure, drama, sci-fi, even a love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, played by hunk Liam Hemsworth. But the real treats of the film are the characters and their growth and resistance in the face of crushing circumstances imposed upon them by an almighty power.
In conclusion, this film is perfect for people who likes fantasy with a lot of fighting; surreal surroundings, people and fashion sense. But overall, an excellent film.
