Though it has already claimed the top spot at the box-office in its first two weekends, are audience getting what they hoped for when forking over $11 a ticket? In my opinion they are. Writer/Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) has condensed the story into a very well managed 2 hours and 20 minutes. As with any such story details had to be cut, but it includes all of the important aspects of this story as well as what is needed to continue on to the next story in the trilogy. A huge key in this success is the fact author Suzanne Collins is one of the trio, along with Ross, in adapting the screenplay. There's no doubt having her involved so closely in the adaptation process is what helped keep all the major events that happen in the book, to happen exactly the same way in the movie. Another applauding fact to this script is the way they dealt with the book's first person narrative. Due to this there's a lot of information told to a reader that needs to be shown to a viewer. To solve this the writers used many different ways to portray such info to the audience, from plainly showing a narrative text on the screen to coming up with a whole new scene in general, such as the one when the Tracker Jackers are explained.
For those who are now lost by the lingo just used and are new to the story, The Hunger Games is set in the futuristic ruins of North America, in the country of Panem. The evil Capitol requires each of its 12 impoverished districts to every year volunteer a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, chosen via a draft, to fight to the death in an arena (and you thought the US was in rough shape). The story follows Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, X-Men: First Class), of District 12 who volunteers to fight to save her sister. She is sent along with fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right). He is a non-threatening looking, but surprisingly strong individual who is yet insecure and has a much bigger role then he could ever imagine. From here the plot line travels parallel to that of the book's, as Katniss must find a way to survive in and out of the games in an ever changing landscape while somehow protecting all of those around her with whom she loves and cares for.
As for the casting of this movie, which is quite important in highly popular adaptations, I believe the casting people hit their mark with most of the characters. Lawrence is perfect in portraying Katniss as the very self-reliant, reserved, person that she is. Some may not be happy with the choice of Hutcherson as Peeta, but when it comes down to it he's a good fit as he portrays the main important qualities Peeta is supposed to have. Those being his sincerity, loyalty, kindness and sensitivity. He may not be that heart throb some people want, but he's not supposed to be. That's more reserved for Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Katniss' best friend, who from the brief exposure seems to be a good fit.
The best job casting wise has to go to Haymithch Abernathy, the drunken sad-sack mentor to Katniss and Peeta, who is played by Woody Harrelson (Friends With Benefits). Just think of his character in Zombieland and translate it to this film. It's perfect. Other notables are Stanley Tucci (Easy A) as Caeasar Flickerman, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, who's hard to even recognize under her Capitol wardrobe, Donald Sutherland as President Snow, and Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' stylist Cinna.
Overall, I give this movie a thumbs up and 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. For me this movie was pretty much everything I could have hoped it would be when seeing it on the big screen. It's unrealistic to expect it to be exactly like the book. All you can hope for is it's the best version possible when going by the constraints of a movie and this is pretty darn close. What's even better is if you haven't read the book you'll still enjoy this movie. It's that good of a story on its own. However, if you haven't read it there's a good chance the movie will make you want to read it, and that to me is what makes a good adaptation. Just ask Harry Potter. Enjoy!
Editor's Note: Due to my long absence and the fact I have watched a handful of movies in that time I'm not sure which movie I'll review next. As always if I see one in theaters, like The Hunger Games, it gets priority. Otherwise, it could be Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or a couple others so stay tuned to see what's next!
