The Hunger Games. When? I'm not sure, but in the future. Where? I'm not sure, but it really doesn't matter. What does matter is this: as a remembrance for an uprising rebellion in years gone by (74 to be exact), a pair of kids from each of the 12 Districts must compete for their lives for all to see. We're talking Reality TV gone very wrong. Oh yeah, did I mention that only one of the 24 will survive?
Meet Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence). She's a 16 year old from District 12, who is quite antsy about the Reaping ceremony. That's when a government official pulls out two names from all kids 12 to 18 years of age to represent their District in this blood bath. No, Katniss' name was not chosen. Unfortunately, her 12-year old sister's name was picked. This prompted Katniss to quickly volunteer to go in her stead. Her running mate from D-12 is Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). The two then make their way from dingy and impoverished District 12 to the glitz and glamour of the Capitol. There, they train with their fellow 22 competitors. After a short training stint, they are dropped in a wooded area to battle it out in a bloody mess of disturbing proportions...after all, were talking about 12 to 18 year olds here. Yadayadayada Katniss and Peeta endure an onslaught of attack after attack in hopes of emerging as the Hunger Games champ, and uhh...for good measure, keeping their lives.
It's good. Quite good, actually, so I'll score it 4.0 Stars. Two words: Thoroughly entertaining. It's a great story and easy to understand the reason for all of the hype surrounding the books. It's a unique plot, which is a rarity in Hollywood these days, and it's easy to follow--even if you're as clueless as I was when your butt hits the theater seat. Plus, you've got solid acting all around. From staples such as Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson, to relative newcomers Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and more. Further, you enter a futuristic world that has been very well crafted by Director/Screenwriter Gary Ross. Everything from the cityscape to the fashion (who knew that Dennis Rodman's wild fashionista ride through the 90's would have such a profound influence?), make this an incredibly believable and enticing world.
Sure, I had my issues with The Hunger Games. Well, three to be exact. First, it's very slow moving. Second, a lot of sequences are shot either exceptionally too slow or exceptionally too fast. I'm talking about flash sequences which should take 3-4 seconds, occurring in 1/2 a second or less. Apparently, Ross and his editing crew have severe HDD, because these are shots that you don't really even have a chance to wrap your mind around. Further, the fight sequences are shot with such chaotic, frantic abandon, the audience has no real chance of knowing what's going on. Sure, those things are all by design. I'm sure he wanted to bring the audience into the action and make us feel as threatened as our heroes. WAIT...this just in...I'm sitting in a movie theater watching a flick...my enjoyment comes from doing that...NOT dodging swords and knives. Words of advice for the next two sequels: Let us see what's happening. Finally, it's long. Actually, it's 2 hours and 22 minutes long. With this genre, you expect to get up after two and half hours and wonder where the time went. This isn't typically a complaint of mine considering the genre, but this movie just moves so slowly from the outset, it eventually mattered.
All in all--see this flick and see it BIG. The story itself is worth a BIG view. The characters are interesting and well-played. The world created by Ross is fascinating. All of which, overcomes a few of the editing faux pas (at least in my humble opinion) and shot sequence slurs. Enjoy and may the odds be forever in your favor!
True...OUT!
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