Review: The Hunger Games
5 stars
Most of the time, a film cannot live up to its hype. However, “The Hunger Games” proves otherwise. The first installment of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy is fully brought to life in the film. Set in a post-apocalyptic United States, now a nation called Panem, “The Hunger Games” follows heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) of District 12 in her fight to the death. She must battle against 23 other tributes from the 12 districts of Panem in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, a reminder to all of Panem of the Capitol’s power.
Lawrence’s performance is brilliant as the hard-faced heroine, and Josh Hutcherson perfectly embodies Peeta Mellark, the male tribute of District 12. The film really steps outside the boundaries of the books—giving us an outside look at the action, whereas the book is limited to Katniss’ perspective—while still staying true to the feel of the book. My only complaints are the “shaky camera” fight scenes, because it is difficult to understand what is happening until the fight ends.
