THE HUNGER GAMES 4***
The Hunger Games is the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel (itself the first in a trilogy) Avid fans of the books were going to make the film a hit, regardless. It's our good fortune that, much like the people behind the Potter films figured out, you can have a Hugh box office smash (opening weekend gross of $155 million .. 3rd largest ever ) AND make a beloved book into an outstanding film of high quality. The Hunger Games will be Lionsgate's biggest-ever hit. Better yet, it deserves to be.
The film is set in a future version of the United States in which the country has been fractured and then tenuously reunited after an uprising nearly seventy-five years prior. The rebels were eventually quelled, and the resulting country consists of a rich and powerful central Capitol and twelve individual “Districts.” Each District is responsible for one type of provision or industry and, as the Capitol restricts communication and interaction between the Districts, they are at the mercy of their government to get supplies that are necessary for even basic survival. And though that should be enough to keep the Capitol satisfied in their power, it’s not, and they use the annual “Hunger Games” to remind their citizens just how in control they are. The Games are a televised fight to the death, with its twenty-four players comprised of one boy and one girl ( 12 to 18 yrs. old) each from every District, picked at random in a lottery that is both flawed and unfair.
After her little sister Primrose is picked for the Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Older, stronger, and a skilled archer, Katniss stands a far better chance in the arena than young Prim, but she will still have to go up against highly trained competitors, a rigged system, the whims of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and Head Gamesmaker Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) . Her team includes drunken mentor Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), gentle stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), weirdly hilarious escort Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), and her fellow Tribute – the dedicated Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson)…. the acting is consistently solid and rarely hammy. .
The cast is stellar. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss carries the movie and makes the many book fans regret complaining about her casting because she was too "hot" and not starved enough. She IS Katniss and one can feel the graveness of an situation just by looking at her expressions. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta is also a true breakout performance. The way he looks at Katniss will makes girls all over the world envy her, just like it's supposed to be. Other standouts in the cast include Stanley Tucci as the flamboyant talk-show host Caesar Flickerman, Woody Harrelson as the sarcastic but caring mentor Haymitch and Wes Bentley as the sinister game-maker Seneca Crane.
Parents should be cautioned, at least modestly so, that The Hunger Games by its very storyline is about kids killing kids and particularly sensitive young children may find its action disturbing despite its not being particularly graphic. While the film is appropriately rated at PG-13, it would likely be considered a stronger PG-13 rating.

The Hunger Games isn't quite a masterpiece, but it is way far better than what most expected from the film and is that rare film to successfully blend commercial success and critical acclaim. It says much about Jennifer Lawrence that she tapped into the heart and soul of Katniss and, as a result, The Hunger Games is a film where both style and substance work together to create one of the year's best films.
Can be seen on regular screen or Imax. It is spectacular in Imax.

Clark

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