The Hunger Games

Another great sci-fi film by Gary Ross is brought to the big screen, starring Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss),Josh Hutcherson(Peeta), Williow shields(Primrose), Liam Hemsworth(Gale) and many more.                                                                                                                                                   

In a dystopian future, the dictatorial nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Every year, two young, teenager representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal revenge for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to kill their competitors and to endure the natural and supernatural creatures and forces they are supposed to fight against, while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, 12-year-old Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.

The movie was only acceptable as it lacked in many areas. One was that a long time was taken to build the character though it wasn’t enough to make the watcher grow attached to the character. Katniss was portrayed as a tough girl from the beginning though it would’ve been better if the reason for her bravery and a little of her family’s history such as her dad were portrayed.

I also anticipated the start of the Hunger Games, expecting it to be jam-packed with action but it was quite the opposite. There was action but not as much vicious as the film said it was.

The storyline and the scenes weren’t made clear. There also wasn’t a smooth transition connecting each scene. There was this particular scene where Katniss recollects her memories about Peeta. Here particularly, the reality and the flashback scene are hard to distinguish as there is a sudden change of scenes, making it look like it’s just another scene in the movie.

One main thing that messed up the whole film was the shaky camera work. Gary Ross said that his decision to do this was because, “had a lot to do with the urgency of what's going on and to reflect Katniss' point of view”. In his point of view, he might have a done a good job but the shaky camera work made the detailing of the scene and the character’s actions very hard to perceive, making the watcher to do lots of guess work.

The movie altogether was satisfactory. I might as well have thrown my 120 rupees in the well. In my opinion, I am still in the blue about the movie. On a positive note, I liked Elizabeth Banks, playing the role of Effie Trinket. Her costume catches the eye of all and clearly tells that the movie is set in the future. On the whole, the movie is worth a watch.