Having never read the book and knowing only pieces of the story as seen from the trailers, I expected some gruesome Tim Burton-esque world with teenagers offing each other in maddeningly artistic ways. Not necessarily a mash-up for high expectations. The massive marketing blitz pre-release painted the experience as an art design journey, complete with masquerade-like couture and makeup. Although curious, I avoided it in the theaters, fearing style over substance.
My distaste of overbearing design was beaten down early. Fantasy films’ fatal flaw is flaunting style over substance, sacrificing storytelling in the process; design should contribute, but remain otherwise an invisible background. In the Hunger Games, the design is artfully used to express the worlds of the haves and the have-nots, of the poor outlying districts and the rich, powerful Capitol district where the games are played. It might have screamed, “look at me” in the commercials, but in whole only whispered “pay attention”.
The film begins in the depressed and dirty District 12, one of the poorest areas of the post-apocalyptic PanEm, featuring a dustbowl-era facade where smiles are few and food sources are fewer. After a brief introduction to Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) hunting in the woods, the backstory of the games is discussed as Katniss, her young sister Primrose (Willow Shields) and friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) prepare for the annual Reaping.
Once a year, as punishment for their participation on the wrong side of a long-past rebellion, every district choses one child of each sex as “tributes” for the Hunger Games, a cross between a modern reality show and an ancient gladiator match, where this bloodsport to the death is the big yearly spectacle; imagine the Superbowl, Olympics, Oscars and Grammys rolled into one.
The gathering of the children recalls haunting photo memories of WWII, as they line up, grungy in their Sunday best, praying not to be called. Delicate Primrose is chosen, and Katniss volunteers to be tribute in her place. And thus motions are set in action.
Katniss and the other tribute, Peeta (played by Josh Hutcherson, who harbors a crush for Katniss and once fed her bread when she was starving) are whisked away to the Games. Here the design begins to draw the viewer into a world of significant disparity, where the have-nots live in North Korean like squalor, while the haves live in a world that puts Rome to shame; a world where gladiator sport, using children, is the height of fashion.
Woody Harrelson as their Mentor, Haymitch, makes a marvelous turn as a drunk more enamored of his carousing life after winning the Hunger Games and escaping district 12, than in teaching his charges anything significant.
Before the games, the contestants compete in trials to gain sponsors – rich viewers who could send them helpful items in a pinch. Stanley Tuccii plays Ceasar Flickerman, the host of the Game and master of ceremonies for the ages, with an uncomfortable grace, decked out in outrageous costume and hair. The Games is his show. But behind him and show director Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley, played with the world’s strangest beard) lurks the quiet presence of President Snow. Donald Sutherland plays Snow quiet and contemplative throughout, but lets his displeasure at the games be known.
Once the action begins, there are minor battles, ambushes, one-on-one fights, chases, alliances, betrayals, love stories, heartbreaking deaths, life-saving moments, ferocious biomechanical creatures, rule changes, and even hallucinogenic bees. In the end the final two survivors are Peeta and Katniss, who find a way to outsmart the Game, forcing a new ending on the traditional sport.
There are several nods to Romeo and Juliette throughout – from the constant referral to them as “star-crossed lovers” (albeit from the same social order), to the poison berries that play such an important part of the film.
The story is well wound, tightly constructed and told in a way that keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. On the surface, it offers a very good film experience for the price of admission. Few people, other than maybe hardcore book fans, will be disappointed in this film. On a deeper side, a few hours after leaving the theater, the viewer might still be deconstructing the film, teasing apart the numerous themes of social and financial inequality at the root of the story.
The Hunger Games is one of those fun films that can be taken at face value and enjoyed for the successful roller-coaster ride, where others may find something deeper, more intriguing, and more meaningful than even the story itself.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Golden Eagle Bows
Pain level: 3
Medication: 200mg gabapentin
TO WATCH THE HUNGER GAMES ON NETFLIX, CLICK HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment