The Hunger Games

My Rating: 3/4

What appears to be a group consisting every teenager who reads and then some has been raiding the theaters in eager excitement for "The Hunger Games". Based on the first book of the best-selling "Hunger Games" trilogy which was written by Suzanne Collins, the story takes place in post-apocalyptic North America which has been divided into twelve districts and a Capitol. The Capitol rules the districts, and as punishment for a rebellion that the districts fought against the Capitol 74 years earlier, Each district must annually select at random one male and one female "tribute" between the ages of twelve and eighteen to compete in an arena where they must fight to the death. This televised event is known as the Hunger Games.
When the story begins, we meet the main protagonist: a sixteen-year-old girl from district twelve named Katniss Everdeen. On the "day of reaping", on which the tributes are selected, Primrose Everdeen, the twelve-year-old little sister of Katniss, is chosen as the female tribute. Not wanting her sister to die, Katniss volunteers in her sister's place, and must fight for her life in the arena.
Right off the bat, "The Hunger Games" has something many stories lack: originality. It brings a new dimension to science fiction in which has a much darker yet more realistic take on the future. The beauty is that the story uses this make a seemingly preposterous idea into a story that grabs the audience's interest.
In preparation for seeing the film, I decided to read the book. I was glad I did, because it turns out that all of the hype centered around "The Hunger Games" was not a false promise. I found that it is a unique story with characters that you come to really care about. I instantly became a part of the giant fan base the series has, and as a big fan of the books, I held high expectations for the movie.
To my relief, I was not disappointed.
Director Gary Ross has brought not only his vision to the screen but he has also brought the author's vision as well. He does a great job of articulating the many different elements and tones of the book, and making sure that the characters are believable and that the audience becomes attached to them whether they have read the books or not. The characters have been perfectly cast, and when I say "perfectly", I literally mean the choices could not have been better. Each cast member portrays their respective characters exactly as they are portrayed in the books. Some of the performances that really stood out were Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, and the oddly moving presence of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.
Another smart move the production team made was having Suzanne Collins help write the script. No one would have a better vision for a book on screen than the author herself. While a few details are left out, the film is extremely close to the book, which is really the job of a novel adaptation.
Just as the books does, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, and does a beautiful job of incorporating story, action, and character development so that they all work in harmony for the duration of the film.
In the end, "The Hunger Games" reveals itself not only as a movie, but as an experience. An experience that interests an audience that isn't really gender specific or too age specific, even if it may seem that way.
The next installment, "Catching Fire", is slated for release in November 2013. I have high expectations for the next film, in hopes that the production team will continue to capture the essence of the amazing story to be told and bring it to life on screen, just as they have this first of three, and possibly four, rounds.