The Hunger Games DVD Review

27th Aug 2012

The Hunger Games is set in a future where America appears to have changed dramatically. The poor, working-class live a practically Amish lifestyle outside the cities, in communities known as “Sectors”, performing manual labour such as mining or farming for the benefit of the wealthy classes who inhabit bright, sleek cities filled with advanced technology and outrageous neon fashions. It’s an unfair world and one the Sectors once dared to rebel against. Following the failed revolution the ruling classes formulated a method to keep the Sectors in their place: the annual Hunger Games. Each year a boy and a girl from each Sector is randomly selected to compete in the Hunger Games, a twisted reality show that pits child against child in a fight to the death. When Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone) hears that her little sister has been chosen to compete in the Games, Katniss has no choice but to volunteer herself as an alternative. Soon Katniss finds herself on her way to the city, along with the unassuming Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are Alright), crazy mentor/Hunger Games victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson, Rampart) and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks, Roles Models), a woman whose clothes are as strange has her name. Only one contestant may survive the Hunger Games and soon Katniss and Peeta find themselves fighting, and performing, for their survival.

Having not read any of the books this reviewer was not sure what to expect. The Hunger Games trilogy has been slated as another “tween franchise” in the same vein as Twilight, so it’s fair to say this reviewer was expecting very little. So what a brilliant surprise The Hunger Games turned out to be! It’s intelligent, interesting, well-acted, brutal without being bloody and fast-paced. Containing the age old themes of oppression, survival, inequality and injustice it is certainly a cut above other fluffy tween franchises. Interestingly it also takes on our modern obsession with reality television, fame and “showmances”.

In Katniss modern girls have a modern heroine. Strong, protective, smart and capable she is a powerful character that doesn’t concern herself with love and romance…unless it’s in the name of survival. Jennifer Lawrence puts in yet another fantastic performance and cements herself as an up-and-coming A lister. Josh Hutcherson is believable as the vulnerable Peeta and the supporting cast, such as Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Woody Harrelson all put in memorable performances that enhance the film. The set is fantastic and the difference between the haves and have-nots is brilliantly highlighted.

The Hunger Games is clearly influenced by popular culture; there are elements of Lord of the Flies, Big Brother, Battle Royale and The Running Man. However, it would be lazy and inaccurate to make a direct comparison between The Hunger Games and any of the aforementioned films because although the influences are there, The Hunger Games is original and thought-provoking and does not appear to be ripping off previous successes.

It has been criticised for being far too violent for the young audience it’s aimed at and it’s hard to deny that the premise isn’t grim, but the violence is minimal and is mostly implied via good direction. In conclusion The Hunger Games is a great film that doesn’t assume its audience to be stupid and concerned only with hunky heroes. More importantly, it succeeds in whetting the audience’s appetite for the next instalment. Personally, this reviewer can’t wait for the next film: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.