I saw this movie last night after reading the books, and it was very good! Out of five stars I'd give it three and half for violence and sometimes language. It is rated PG-13, so talk to your parent before seeing it. All the actors did a great job, and the movie stuck with the books pretty well.
As for the plot summary, The Hunger Games is basically about a girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in Panem, which is what used to be America but is now controlled by dictators. There are 12 districts, but years back they rebelled against The Capitol, known as "the dark days." As a form of punishment toward Panem, The Capitol forces one girl and one boy ages 12-18 ("tributes") from each district to compete in The Hunger Games, a competition for survival. The awful thing is that there's only one winner. Once the tributes have been selected, they are sent to The Capitol to train, which includes learning how to fight and use survival skills. They each have a training mentor and stylist who try to prepare them for impressing the officials and gaining sponsors.
Katniss is a teenage girl who is hardworking and tries to take care of her family. Her father died when she was young. She enjoys hunting in the woods with her lifelong friend, Gale. When her sister is chosen for The Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers as a tribute. It's then that she once again meets Peeta Mellark, the boy also chosen to compete from her district who helped her during a time when she had no food. That's where a little romance ties into the story. ;)
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss, Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta, and Liam Hensworth is Gale. I thought they all did a good job with the acting, including Rue and "The Careers." Jennifer nabbed her role perfectly, and Josh was really a great pick for Peeta.
There is some violence in this film. We see arrows pinned to kids, dead bodies lying on the ground, blood, and many wounds. The two most violent scenes include a girl getting stung by a swarm of venomous wasps (causing her whole body to swell up), and near the beginning when the the tributes are running toward the Cornucopia. The good thing is that the camera takes quick, almost blurry shots during some of these scenes.
I was able to get some positive elements out of The Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta are bother very selfless and are willing to risk their lives for the ones they love. Katniss truly cares about her family, and we see this when she volunteers to take her sister's place at The Reaping. She is also determined not to let Rue or Peeta die. The same could be said about Peeta. When Katniss is taking care of his wound in the cave, he refuses to let her go to The Cornucopia to get the medicine for him. He is willing die for Katniss. Bravery, friendship, sacrifice, and loyalty are all things you will find in The Hunger Games.
I think watching this movie also showed me how blessed we are, and having the privilege live in a free country. If you think about it, it's the sad truth, but America is almost like The Capitol. Here we are with everything we could ever need, while children in some countries are struggling just to find food and make it through the day. We don't know how blessed we are! That's why we need to thank God and reach out to others who need help. Because what if we were one day to wake up, and our oh-so-beautiful life was gone? Jennifer Lawrence describes The Hunger Games as,"This is what our society could be like if we became desensitized to trauma and to each other's pain."
Overall, I thought the The Hunger Games was a good movie. I laughed, I cried, and I was rooting for Katniss to stay strong throughout the whole thing. They left out some parts from the book, but did a nice job sticking with most of it. I think at times it could have used some better background music though.
While some critics are claiming The Hunger Games to be the "next Twilight", I agree and disagree. I never cared for Twilight much because of how dark it is, but I agree that The Hunger Games could be the next big franchise.. and actually, I'm thankful for that because I'm sick of Twilight. I disagree with COMPARING The Hunger Games to Twilight. Twilight is very dark and has, well, no point. The Hunger Games is dealing with much more serious issues and even has some good messages in it.
What did ya'll think of The Hunger Games? Have you read the books? Which one do you think was better? For me surprisingly, I'm going to have to say the movie. Now I cannot wait for Catching Fire! :)
- Bookworm
