The Hunger Games
2012
****
Director: Gary Ross
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley
In a post-apocalyptic future, the annual Hunger Games are the TV event of the year. All twelve districts of Panem (former North America) are forced to select a boy and a girl aged 12 to 18 to fight for survival until only one of them is left standing. Jennifer Lawrence follows Winter's Bone with another impressive performance as Katniss Everdeen, a strong but principled 16-year-old who volunteers to represent District 12. This adaptation of the first book in Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy doesn't really break new ground. The gruesome teenage death fight is taken from Battle Royale, the extreme reality TV is familiar from films like Running Man and The Truman Show, and, if you will, the cliffhanger sets the stage for a Twilight-like teenage love triangle. However, Collins has created a really charismatic protagonist and she combines the various influences to an entertaining story. The film takes its time to get going, but it's ultimately a powerful dystopia with a genuine sense of dread. Followed by Catching Fire.
