• Review Index
  • About Me
  • Suggestions

vinnieh

~ Movie reviews and anything else that comes to mind

vinnieh

Tag Archives: Gary Ross

The Hunger Games

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

2010's, Action, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Ross, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Katniss Everdeen, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, The Hunger Games, Woody Harrelson

Film Title

The Hunger Games

Director

Gary Ross

Cast

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
  • Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
  • Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
  • Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
  • Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
  • Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
  • Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
  • Donald Sutherland as President Snow

Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins and starring the talented Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games is a brutal, exciting action film with an emotional core. It is an action movie with brains as well as brawn.

In the future, North America is no more and is now known as Panem. It is split into the Capitol and twelve districts, alternating between the poor and the rich. The young and resourceful Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 with her mother and sister Prim. Every year, as punishment for an uprising years before, a boy and girl, between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected to take part in the eponymous games. The games consist of surviving and fighting literally till the death on live television, until someone emerges as the champion. When her sister is selected, Katniss volunteers to take her place so that her sister can escape the brutality of the games. Also selected is Peeta, a boy who helped Katniss when she was starving years before. What unravels after this is a thrilling, bloody and shocking contest and memorable film.

Jennifer Lawrence is amazing as Katniss, showing her steely strength but also an underlying, human vulnerability. She is a memorable heroine, battling not just with a bow and arrow of which she is accomplished, but also her wits and own initiative. Lawrence fits the part of Katniss like a glove, showing us her capability in the acting world. Woody Harrelson is strangely touching and knowing as her alcoholic mentor. An almost unrecognisable Elizabeth Banks plays the avant-garde Effie, commonly seen in outlandish costumes and speaking in a funny and memorable voice. Music fans should look out for a supporting role by Lenny Kravitz as a sympathetic advisor and stylist to Katniss. In supporting roles, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland are respectably amazing as always.

The use of up close camera shots and shaky footage may put off some viewers, but I personally thought it added to the overall kinetic feeling of the film. The first half builds up to the opening brutal event, by what can only be described as a mixture of reality show references on acid, and not meant in a bad way. The second half of the film becomes more frenetic as the brutality continues involving scavenging for supplies, deadly poisonous creatures called Trackers and Katniss battling her way bravely through it. The sections of the games and each of the tributes battling literally to the death reminded me of  Lord of the Flies, but the futuristic version.

Although only rated 12, director Gary Ross has included many bloody and savage instances of violence so as not to dilute the original source material. To stop it from being gratuitous, the main character of Katniss gains the audience’s sympathy and rooting for her character saves it from being purely a gory bloodbath with no story at all. Many people have said the film would be better if it was rated R. As I haven’t read the book I can’t vouch for that.

If you are looking for an action that delivers on performances and story as well as violence, The Hunger Games is a decent bet for you. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Lawrence anchoring the proceedings with her strong yet touching presence. The only minor quibble I have with the film is the running time, if it was trimmed slightly it would benefit. Regardless of that, the film is a brutal, bloody and entertaining view of a dystopian future and reality shows gone to far.

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • 007 thoughts and reviews
  • Adventures of Satrap
  • Announcements
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Birthdays and Tributes
  • Blogging Community
  • Blogging Questions
  • Creepy
  • Gif Posts
  • Humour
  • Movie and Television Trivia
  • Movie opinions and thoughts
  • Movie Reviews
  • Music reviews and opinions
  • Photography Discussion
  • Rest In Peace
  • Sport
  • Television Opinions
  • Television Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
June 2022
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« May    

Tags

007 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010's Action Adventure Announcement Based on a true story Bernard Lee Bette Davis Birthday Blogs You Should Follow Cate Blanchett Comedy Crime Desmond Llewelyn Disney Drama Fantasy Foreign Language Film Gillian Anderson Halle Berry Happy Birthday Horror James Bond Judi Dench Julianne Moore Julia Roberts Liebster Award Lois Maxwell Madonna Maggie Smith Matthew Fox Meryl Streep Music Musical Mystery Natalie Portman Neve Campbell Period Drama Psychological Horror Psychological Thriller Rest In Peace Romance Romantic Comedy Science Fiction Spy Supernatural Horror Thriller

Top Posts & Pages

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3
Lyric Analysis - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue: Where the Wild Roses Grow
A TV Show From My Childhood
Silent Hill
Walkabout
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part III
Conan the Destroyer
Who Is Your Favourite Character in The Godfather Trilogy?
The Babysitter
Follow vinnieh on WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • vinnieh
    • Join 3,764 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • vinnieh
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar