The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games 

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Sci-fi

Director: Gary Ross

Studio: Lionsgate

Running time: 142 minutes

Release date: March 23, 2012

My rating: 7.6

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and ongoing government intimidation tactic. The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

                                               - Filmjabber

So, my very first movie review.. let's just see how it goes shall we? Hahaha
Oh and by the way, I chose to do 'The Hunger Games' because one, it's one of my favourite book series and is already one of my favourite film series too, and also because I'm going to see the midnight premiere of 'Catching Fire' and I wanted to do a review of the first before I did a review of the second!

'The Hunger Games', arguably one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2012, or was that just me? I had previously read the trilogy by Suzanne Collins, so I was well caught up with the stories, which made me want to see it on the big screen even more! Ross, the director, though he messed up a few things, in my opinion, did do a good job for such a huge adaptation. The lead actors, Jen Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson, did an even better job with their portrayals. While the directing could have been improved, I thought the acting was spot on!

I'm sure everyone knows of the story by now, unless you've been living under a freaking rock! Haha! It's sort of similar to some others out there, namely Battle Royale, but it's so unique at the same time! First of all, the setting is sometime into the future, in what we know to be North America, but instead, in called Panem. The Capitol is the capital, completely not obvious I know,surrounded by twelve districts. Each district is responsible for providing a particular something for the Capitol, and as a result of a past rebellion, 'The Hunger Games' was introduced, as explained in the filmjabber synopsis.
The film is basically about Katniss, a girl from District 12 who is chosen to play in the Games in the 74th annual Hunger Games, and what she encounters while in the arena.

Just so you can visualise what Panem actually looks like.

Going back to what I said about the directing of the movie, I do think Gary Ross did a good job, but honestly there were parts that disappointed me. It couldn't have been an easy task, you know, taking on something as big as The Hunger Games film, what with all the pressure from the excited fans, and the demands of the plot itself. What I really enjoyed in THG film, the direction and all, was the training scenes. Especially Katniss' private session with the gamemakers, I thought it was great across the board. That along with the Tribute parade..

Or even the very start, when Katniss

volunteers in place of Prim, her little

sister, all those were brilliant!




What I didn't fancy, what let me down the most, though, was the world building. I completely understand that the budget wasn't exactly ideal for a world like Panem, but throughout the movie, I just couldn't shake the bogged down vibe I got from the little we got to see of the districts, the Capitol and the actual arena. I can't explain exactly what it is I feel whenever I watch the movie, but basically I just think they could have put a little more into it. I mean, there was one part I liked, when the train was arriving at the Capitol, and you could see all the futuristic high rise buildings and stuff. Yeah that was cool!

The editing, writing and costumes and stuff were pretty good. I don't know too much on editing, but I thought the film ran smoothly, the lighting and all that, suited the particular scenes really well! One thing I was surprised by, but still found enjoyable, was Katniss' tracker jacker hallucinations. It was so interesting how we got to see through Katniss' dizzy eyes, as if we were the ones bitten by those damn bugs! Hahaha
Yeah anyway, the writing was great, even though I thought the cave scenes were a tad sappy. That might just be because I'm a guy though! Haha

I absolutely LOVED the costumes in the film! From the outfits of the Capitol residents..

To the suits they had to wear during their training..

And the costumes for the Tribute Parade!

They were all so creative and looked awesome!

The last part of the film, which isn't really part of the film, was the soundtrack for THG film. The soundtrack came out, what, a few days before the film? I actually liked all the songs on the list, but after a few months of listening to them, I got bored of all except one. Can you guess which that is? It's probably really obvious... Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift! I remember exactly how I felt listening to it the first time around. I don't know, something just clicked and I instantly fell in love with the song, and it's still one of my favourite songs to this day. I don't think a day has passed without me listening to that song.. Is that bad?

Haha well anyway, all in all I thought the film was really good, in need of improvement in some areas, but still really good. I would say it's suitable for all ages, because the violence is even more limited than the books, and I really think it's just a movie that could interest all age groups!

Anyway, thanks for reading, I think this has been my best review yet, and there's more where that came from!