The Hunger Games (2012)
Onto a film I didn't think I'd want to watch. But after reading the book (and the rest of the trilogy) I had to give it a go to see how it stacks up.
*note: As I normally do four sections out of 10, for this they will be out of eight, with a fifth section for adaptation
Plot: Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old living in District 12 of Panem (formerly the Rockies in the US). A small mining district, she and her family get by with the illegal hunting she and her friend Gale carry out. Every year, each district surrenders a random boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 (dubbed 'tributes') to the Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games; a huge deathmatch where the last remaining tribute alive is declared the winner. When her 12 year old sisters' name is picked out, Katniss takes her place, putting her life in the hands of the survival skills she has picked up over the years.
We have an interesting plot here, with all of the action coming in the final act of the film, with the rest of it building up. One thing I love is how in district 12, everything is very old-fashioned, to the point where you cannot possibly tell when this is supposed to be set. As the film goes on, and we're shown the full glory of the Capitol, we see that this district, as with many others, are neglested, and in such a state of disrepair that they do not show accurately the time period.
As with the book, the focus of this story is entirely on Katniss. And as it should be, this is her story of her time in the games. And we learn early on how important a person she is; she is the sole provider of her family, and main carer for her little sister Prim. The impact this has when she volunteers isn't immediate, as we understand she is doing so to protect her sister, but when her mother and Prim are allowed to visit her, we get the full sense of how important a part of the family she is, and how difficult their lives will be should she not make it back.
As well as the overall plot of the games, the subplot (which, to be honest, is more of a co-plot) is that of the past relationship with Peeta Mellark; the son of 12's baker and the male tribute for 12. We slowly learn through short flashbacks that Peeta once helped Katniss by providing her some bread; a debt she has never forgotten. The most interesting thing about their relationship is the way their feelings grow; Peeta unashamedly loves Katniss from day one, where as Katniss has no such feelings, and only plays on them during the build-up to the games (popular tributes earn sponsors, who can provide supplies once they have begun). By the end though, he realises this, but by this point her feelings have actually grown, and she herself is confused by what she feels.
Rating: 6/8
Performance: Jennifer Lawrence is, in a word, perfect as Katniss. She plays the hard-skinned hunter, who repels most warmth from others unless its from her sister well, but she also plays the vulnerable side superbly too. When another tribute that helped her dies during the games, she mourns her, and it becomes difficult to watch the outpour of emotion. There are moments in the book where Suzanne Collins writes Kaniss as being on the edge of tears, but using all of her will to stay strong; this is something Lawrence does magnificently. Multiple moments have her on the edge of breaking down, and she holds on, by a thread. But she holds on because she has to.
Josh Hutcherson grew on me as Peeta as the film progressed, and turned out to be a solid choice. He's a likeable guy who's in love, and has no expectation of coming out alive. Yet at no point does he ever seem desperate, and he is willing to die for Katniss. His performance is good, but overshadowed by Lawrence in every department.
Gale Hawthorne is nowhere near as important in the film as he is in the book, but that is mostly due to the first-person perspective of the book being able to do things the film cannot. But Liam Hemsworth gets the character spot on in the scenes he has, and comes across as a male Katniss, which, in many ways, he is. You get the true sense of friendship between he and Lawrence when they're on screen together, and you also see just how important they are to eachother; more like brother and sister that lovers.
Haymitch, the drunken former winner of the Hunger Games, appointed to train both Katniss and Peeta, is portrayed brilliantly by Woody Harrelson. You get the bitter saide of his character, though is can perhaps be mistaken for him not caring. The opposite couldn't be more true in fact, but you see how he takes pride in Katniss firing an arrow towards the Gamemakers (whilst they are eating food during her assessment session and not paying attention). Harrelson conveys all of the emotions underneath the complex skin of Haymitch, and the layers he possesses will be an interesting focal point of the coming films.
The rest of the cast is a good ensemble, but is there to be nothing more than just that. This is a story about Katniss and the people she is close to during these events.
Rating: 6/8
Adaptation: This film does a fantastic job at bringing the book to life. Everything I imagined in the books, such as the look of the Capitol, to the look of the Districts, even to the look of the Games arena itself, looked as it should. The characters are spot on, and they even manage to cut a few corners without losing much; the way Katniss gets her Mockingjay pin is different, yet it doesn't matter; it's dealt with well. The minor cuts it makes are neccessary; even witht hem, the film is running at nearly two and a half hours. That said, the film has a distinct flow to it, and it never dulls, meaning that you don't notice the time it takes to the point of disrupting the film. As faithful adaptations go, this is a prime example of a very good one.
They way in which they incorperate some plot-points is clever as well; the book is all first-person, so Katniss describes everything to you in detail. In the film, we don't have that, but the way they present them differently works equally as well; an example being the racker-acker nest; in the book, the explanation is all in Katniss' head, where as in the film, it is in a studio (scenes that do not exist at all in the book) that the properties of tracker-jackers (a genetically engineered wasp) is given.
This is a double edged sword, however; no explanation is given to how Mockingjays (a cross between a Mockingbird and a fictional, genetically engineered bird) come about, and even to the large, dog-like creatures at the end. The book goes into this with a lot more detail, with some horrifying revelations, too. Not a huge issue, as you get the idea about these with the genetically altered Tracker-Jackers, but still, the impact loses something.
Another thing is the differences between the violence. Obviously, both the film and book are about teenagers killing eachother, but the book is very visual and gory. The film attempts to get around this (for the sake of a 12a rating) by using clever camerawork. The idea is pretty smart, but it just doesn't work. It becomes jarring and a little annoying, and you can't help but wonder what would have happened had they the balls to go with a 15 rating.
Rating: 6/8
Script: As the script was written by Collins herself, it's hard to criticise it too much, as she is the creator of this world. She does, however, capture the essence of her book, and transfers it superbly on-screen. It's humerous where it needs to be, its full of drama and excitement, and it handles the love story in a non-stereotypical, diverse way.
It's interesting to watch as Katniss develops through the story, and how she and Peeta manage to stay the same two people by the end of the games. It hasn't changed them, rather, it's focused them more on the horrors that happen in their workd, horrors that they are repulsed by.
Another interesting feature is how the story of Peeta and the bread is shown through flashbacks throughout the first two thirds of the film. It builds it up, and we eventually understand the importance that this scene has on both Katniss and Peeta, and the film does a great job to show us this element of backstory.
The highlight, without a doubt, was the scenes surrounding Rue's death. A tribute that katniss becomes attatched to; this is one of Katniss' most important moments, as she can either wallow in self-pity, or carry on in Rue's honour. And the scenes surrounding this moment are nothing short of beautiful, and come across so well, even in comparison to the book.
Something I love, mainly because it could have gone a different way, is the emphasis on survival in the Games. It could have easily just been turned into a bloodbath, but Collins was smart enough to turn it around, and make it into a desperate, intense battle of attrition, that in my opinion was incredibly well written.
Rating: 6/8
Visual: Two important things fall into here; the look of the Capitol and the Arena. The Arena looks inch perfect compared to its description; the dense forest with hidden traps, coupled with the Cornucopia (a large shell-like structure) in the centre, looks perfect to its description.
The Capitol, and conversely its people, look exactly like how they are described...a little too well. I get that the idea is to make the difference between normal district-born people and people from the Capitol alarming and vast, but the ridiculous facial hair, the wierd shaped faces...it all is just a bit too much, and makes it a bit silly.
As mentioned before, the camera-work, while a clever tool to avoid showing copious amounts of gore, is a little too much, and distracts rather than adds to the look of the film, and to be completely honest, by the end of the film, pissed me off.
Rating: 5/8
Verdict: I went to see this film with a friend who didn't really fancy it, who had never read the book, and had previously seen Battle Royale. And while he didnt think it was the best film ever, he really enjoyed it. He cited many flaws I did, plus a few I disagreed with, but he praised its focus on survival, and its overall story. And I can't help but agree with this.
It's a well told story, no doubt, but it does have a few problems, but nonetheless is incredibly faithful to the book. For how it sticks so close, it deserves praise. And what it does cut is only to stop it from running over three hours, and is well worked around for the most part.
If you're going into it conviced that Battle Royale is better, you're missing the point completely. It may use very similar tools, but as a film, this is very different world, a different story, and deserves to be set apart. Worth watching to garner an opinion, and my opinion is that this is one adaptation that is worth seeing.
Final Rating: 29/40
