The Hunger Games - Bread and Circuses

The film version of The Hunger Games was always bound to succeed or fail based on its portrayal of Katniss Everdeen. The faithful adaptation, special effects, and the macabre spectacle of the Games were bound to impress, or at least satisfy, thanks to the strong source material and massive budget. But the movie would crumble if the audience didn't believe in Katniss. Thankfully, Jennifer Lawrence is electric. Her Katniss is earnest, compassionate, charismatic, and fierce; for me, she is the real highlight of the film. I realized that Lawrence was the ideal choice during the Reaping scene; it's featured prominently in the trailer, and for good reason. Primrose's name is called, and Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games. Lawrence's face communicates a litany of emotions, taking us through disbelief, shock, terror, resignation, and just a bit of resistance. As she makes her way to the stage as District 12's volunteer tribute, Lawrence's performance filled me with awe and dread at her character's loyalty and acceptance of her certain death.

The Hunger Games is the current tween craze a la Twilight and Harry Potter, a publishing sensation with a plot just begging to be captured on film. But Suzanne Collins' book is morbid, brutal, and rife with cultural and political critique. Most of us know the story: in a futuristic, totalitarian nation called Panem (that's bread in Latin), the powerful Capitol subjugates its 12 defeated districts through years of hunger, poverty, and political impotency. Each year, the Capitol selects by lottery 24 teenagers from the districts to compete in a televised battle to the death, the victor to be showered with wealth. The narrative demands that we question our voyeurism, our obsession with reality television and any entertainment that allows us to witness others' emotional and physical pain while sharing the drama with a community of viewers. The novel satirizes our infatuation with violence to an absurd degree:  it forces us to watch and cheer on children as they brutally gore each other, as the spectacle is edited and packaged into compelling television.

Clearly, violence -- political, economic, physical -- is central to this story. The physical violence of the arena is the most visceral, and I was curious to see how graphic the movie would be. It was important to stick to a PG-13 rating so the book's young fans could see it, but to gloss over the brutality would be also be a disservice. The film's violence is filmed in quick, sometimes blurred shots. We see blood, and we certainly know what's going on, but the camera never ruminates long enough to seem indulgent. I wonder, though, if indulgence in violence is kind of the point. The novel satirizes our culture's bloodlust by forcing us to witness violence over and over.  

I do think the movie suffers without Katniss' narration. The novel is written concisely and urgently in Katniss' voice, offering the reader insight the movie lacks. There are a few points in the movie that lack depth or clarity, the most glaring being Katniss and Peeta's "showmance." Also notable is Rue's death. I think the director completely botches the staging, making it appear that Katniss sidesteps Marvel's spear and unwittingly allows Rue to die. (The book's description is so brief -- two sentences -- the reader has little idea how it happened.) Also, when Katniss drapes Rue's body in flowers, the film audience may not understand that Katniss' act of love was also a blatant act of rebellion against the Capitol, an intentionally provocative display to prove that the tributes can sometimes retain their humanity and respect for life.

The expanded roles of President Snow, gamemaker Seneca Crane, and Caesar Flickerman substitute for Katniss' narration, helping to elaborate on the manipulativeness of the Games, and their importance for subduing the districts. In fact, the scenes in the Capitol are mesmerizing. With one glaring exception: Katniss' costumes! Rubbish.

For more Hunger Games analysis, please read my friend LL's essay on the trilogy. I haven't read all of it (spoilers abound), but I know it's great because she is great.


(Photo credits: College Humor, Lionsgate.)