REVIEW #9 The Hunger Games (2012)

I think most of you will know this film but for those who don’t... The hunger games is a film directed by Gary Ross based on the novels written by Suzanne Collins. The story follows Katniss Everdeen as she is thrown into The Hunger games after volunteering to take her younger sisters place. It is then a fight to the death with contestants from all 12 districts, some of which have trained their whole lives for this moment.


CAST & THE ACTING 

Katniss Everdeen is played by Jennifer Lawrence who gives a fantastic performance, she is supported by a number of big names such as Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks. I think the performance from everyone in this film is really strong, the class inequality comes through very well in the characters. The wealthy elitists who see these barbaric games as perfect entertainment, in contrast to the working class minors who fight against the dictatorship and corruption in the capital. I think the casting was spot on but I have to admit I haven’t read the books, so how accurate the casting is to the original material I do not know. But just from a film fans perspective each actor was a perfect match to the character they were portraying.


PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I really like this type of genre/storyline so perhaps I am a little bias, the typical underdog film and although it may be a little predictable I still thoroughly enjoyed it when it was originally released and still do when I rewatch now. You really get invested in the characters and especially the ‘will they won’t they’ relationship between Katniss and Peeta, which does well to break up the real violent elements of the film. It’s entertaining from start to finish and like I mentioned earlier the sort of poor vs the rich, good vs evil type plot really plays out well on screen.


CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

I think the cinematography in The Hunger Games was good, they captured the fight sequences well and the camerawork I felt complimented the special effects. An example of this, in my opinion, is the CGI dogs that were used in the film keeping the cameras moving at a fast pace combined with a dark setting didn’t give you a chance to question how real they looked. Which made the scene and those dogs a lot more believable. This is very important in a film like this because if elements start to stand out and not look real, whether that be the CGI or the injuries and the violence, then the audience tends to switch off and lose interest. 


OVERALL (8/10)

I really enjoy this genre, so The Hunger Games is a film I can always keep rewatching. I think it combines a bit of fantasy in a sense that it’s a very different world to what we live in but also a sense of realism and action which means it can appeal to a lot of audiences. There’s also 3 more sequels which is perfect because when I enjoy a film I am usually left wanting more of the same. I’m sure a lot of you will have watched this already but for those who haven’t I would strongly recommend watching it and I believe all the films are on Amazon prime and Netflix, so give it a go!


Thanks for reading 

Callan

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