At the Theater - The Hunger Games - I haven't read the book this was based upon and don't intend to. If a film is good enough, it will stand on it's own- see JAWS, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or The Shawshank Redemption for clear-cut inarguable proof of this. That established, The Hunger Games isn't bad but ultimately not my cup of tea- it's a flawed, often generic, but otherwise passable diversion whose target audience definitely doesn't include mid-30's males who enjoy the NFL and NBA. I still don't know what compelled me to see it nor do I understand the rabid fervor behind this phenomenon after my viewing- it just might be the most bland Box-Office mega-smash to date...
The "stranger in a strange land" angle is woefully underdone here- so many scared young people plucked from the ranks of starving poverty and suddenly plopped into an extravagantly rich lifestyle (which the film spends very little time exploring) with so few segments of wide-eyed wonder and adaptation. Question and an observation: How is a young person who was raised her entire life in a Great Depression Era-like environment (ahem, which the film spends very little time exploring), with little or no technology in sight, able to quickly navigate a complex remote control and television with such ease? Food is obviously at a minimum with people scrounging for small animals to eat and/or use as currency, yet our heroine is wearing a pristine, finely tailored $300+ leather jacket... hmmm.
Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) has fashioned a rather emotionally uninvolving tale- I couldn't quite buy into the lead character's desperation or subsequent hardships because each time the going got tough or looked a bit too grim a little nugget of salvation would come falling conveniently from the skies- it's an aspect of the game that works against any buildup of tension. Pivotal "tribute" characters are also given precious little screen-time yet we're supposed to feel absolutely devastated with their respective deaths. A few fuzzy, bendable rules (once again, very convenient) are also counterproductive. Katniss' character spent very little time reflecting on her life and current situation- as a result, Jennifer Lawrence is merely serviceable in the role and should have been given more free-reign to breathe life into the character.
Apparently the future is rife with atrocious wigs and the desire to dress in various shades of pink and purple- perhaps if the cinematography/visual style were a bit more dynamic or the vistas more FX heavy and gaudily impressive I would have bought into it, but as it is...
Stanley Tucci's game-show host (sporting some obnoxiously fake chompers and a funny blue 'do) is a token character we've seen portrayed many times before and often better- how about Richard Dawson from The Running Man? Even Michael C. Hall in Gamer had more villainous panache... . Elizabeth Banks (slathered in white makeup and hidden beneath pink ruffles) is a difficult character to get a hold on- why don't these teen gladiators being sent out to certain slaughter hate her more given what she represents? Woody Harrelson (yep, you guessed it- bad wig) is a former Champion who shows a slight spark in his eyes from time to time- alas, it's one that never fully lights fire. Toby Jones (awful wig) is nearly unrecognizable and has one discernible line. Wes Bentley sports a funky beard and his trademark, seemingly permanent icy glare as the games producer. Donald Sutherland makes little more than a cameo playing... Donald Sutherland. If Isabella Fuhrman (Orphan) had been given more of a character arc and time to shine I'm sure she would have made an excellent villain- she's that talented. Josh Hutcherson is surprisingly solid- I'm guessing his height has been a detriment in garnering more roles. Liam Hemsworth is here to complete a love-triangle sub-plot that never gets off the ground. Strangely enough, I'm picking Lenny Kravitz as the scene-stealer- dude's effectively (and unexpectedly) likable.
The Hunger Games is a film that desperately needed more of the "Damn the Man!" type sentiment from those being exploited and a bit more "creativity" as far as the deaths of fellow tributes are handled- another 15-20 minutes of character building might have worked wonders...
*There is a scene involving a cgi mutant dog (think the Terror Dogs from Ghostbusters, yet hornless here) that will more than likely have you jump out of your seat.
Watch the similarly themed Battle Royale (2000) if you want to experience a film with some real "edge" to it- afterwards, you might find yourself believing that The Hunger Games just ripped it off and watered it down for teen girls...
6.5 out of 10
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