Film Review: The Hunger Games

I had been eagerly anticipating the hunger games, and couldn’t wait to see it. I had loved the book, so I had some very high expectations. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. Spoilers are in blue type, so skip over those.

 Visually, this film was amazing. I’m a real sucker for good cinematograpgy, and it was simply fantastic. In many of the fast-paced scenes, the camera-work was really impressive. I was actually surprised by how good it was, really.

The younger cast members - the big players are the five on the right -

Gale, Katniss, Peeta, Rue, and Cato.

Some of the scenes, though (I won’t say which!) were pretty awkward. The acting, at times, was slow and bulky, and didn’t really flow the way it should have. At the same time, the casting was superb. This was one of those times when I can’t imagine anyone else who would have fit the roles better. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson smouldered on set as the star-crossed lovers. They were believable, and clever, and not a bit overdone. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks were also fantastic as Haymitch and Effie. Liam…I’m a bit on the fence. I feel that he was somewhat underutilized. Hopefully that is solved in the next couple films (it should be). 

Josh, Jennifer, and Liam

 The violence was pretty toned down, which is, in my opinion, a good thing. The book is incredibly violent, and I was interested in how that would translate to the screen. They shy away from horribly gory scenes, but don’t dull it down to the point of non-interest.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch

Elizabeth Banks as Effie

The costumes and make-up were great. They definitely deserve some credit for styling the completely peculiar Capitol people. Positively amazing. Oh, and Lenny Kravitz was pretty great too. Gosh…I can’t say enough good things!

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna

 For those of us who are true to the books, there were a few major omissions, that while they seem innocuous, may add up to be a problem in the next film, or the one after. In the opening ceremonies, no one told Katniss to hold Peeta’s hand, and that was important because Katniss is supposed to think that their love story is just an act. If they don’t develop that, it won’t be nearly as climactic down the road. They also don’t talk about how the mockingjay is a symbol of the rebellion, which is a big thing to leave out. I feel like that will come back to bite them later. On a good note, Rue’s death was so touching. It wasn’t rushed, and it was so sad that I cried the whole way through it. Also, those mutations are terrifying at the end; you will not be disappointed.

In short, the movie was devilishly good. There was a lot of foreshadowing and buildup towards a second (and maybe a third!) film. My friends haven’t seen this one yet, so we’re probably going to end up heading over this week to see it again, and I’m looking forward to catching all the things that I might have missed. I give this movie an 8/10. It has some things to improve upon, but it did very well considering my outlandish expectations. Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.