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Modern media is skewered, a fiery uprising begins in an oppressed culture, and yet the strongest component of “The Hunger Games” saga is simple and plain: This story, cooked up by author Suzanne Collins for her unstoppable best sellers, is about children forced to kill each other, a horrifying premise that never runs short of dramatic heft. Held as an annual, televised tournament to remind the villages of a dystopian future to never again defy their oppressive ruler, the titular battle royale involves 24 youths, who are treated like gods until they have to pick each other off, leaving only one as the champion. No matter the movie’s missteps, the stakes are always sky-high, making for a uniquely intense filmgoing experience.
The film’s protagonist, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), puts herself in the violent mix in order to save her younger sister, who was the actual female pick in one of 12 chilling lotteries. Along with a baker’s son named Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss is whisked away to the shimmery, privileged Capitol, only to be dropped into a man-made “arena” teeming with weapons, traps, pine trees and rough terrain. Will it be harder to fight the competitors or Mother Nature? Will Katniss be able to woo enough sponsors to send her precious supplies? When the time comes, will she slaughter her new companion?
Boasting more merit in its first reel than all the “Twilight” films combined, this similarly young adult-based fantasy is fast becoming cinema’s new phenomenon, with consumers of all stripes dying to be swept up in the eerie world of a tough heroine (a familiar love triangle, however integral, is graciously left on the sidelines).
Though not given much personality by director Gary Ross, “The Hunger Games” is a rather sterling adaptation, hyper-aware of when to trim the fat and how to manage unwieldy exposition. Like the book, its pace never relents, and virtually every actor is shrewdly cast save Donald Sutherland (the name’s President Snow, not Santa). Readers, especially, will be highly pleased, and they’ll tell all their friends until, as the film promises, the world will be watching indeed.
The Hunger Games
PG-13
Three reels out of four
Opens Friday in area theaters
Recommended Rental
A Dangerous Method
R
Available Tuesday
The latest drama to see director David Cronenberg explore the twisted connection of mind and body, “A Dangerous Method” charts the rise of modern psychoanalysis via the heady, sex-tinged practices of Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), professional friends driven apart by a patient-turned-pupil (Keira Knightley). Mortensen is stellar as Freud, Knightley transforms herself, and Fassbender fattens his ever-impressive résumé. For the cast alone, this one’s not to be missed.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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