The Hunger Games is a three-part book series
written by author Suzanne Collins. The books are set in a futuristic world
where what we know as North America is a country called Panem where there are
twelve districts (remaining of an original thirteen) which act as provinces or
states. The districts are ruled by the Capitol, the heart of Panem, ruled by
President Snow. Each year, one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and
18 from each of the twelve districts are chosen to go into an event called the
Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a live-televised event throughout Panem,
where each tribute fights to the death until a lone victor remains. This victor
will go back to their home district as a hero and the district will be rewarded
with food. The first book in the saga follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen of District
12 as she volunteers to take her sister’s place in the 74th annual
Hunger Games. This book is the one that has been turned into a movie, directed
by Gary Ross, which has recently been released on Blu-Ray and DVD.
The lovely and talented Jennifer Lawrence plays
Katniss. Before The Hunger Games,
Lawrence was mainly known for her Academy Award-nominated performance in Winter’s Bone and her role as Mystique
in X-Men: First Class. I honestly
can’t imagine anyone else playing Katniss. Lawrence gave a very powerful
performance and brought her character to life with aplomb. Whether it was
maternally caring for her little sister Prim, or fighting for her life in the
Games, Lawrence gives a breathtaking performance that people will remember for
ages.
The male tribute from District 12
is Peeta Mellark, played in the film by Josh Hutcherson. When the casting
information was released, some people were a little upset because he didn’t look
the part as described in the book. But once he gained some muscle and dyed his
naturally brown hair blonde, he won over the hearts of most fans. The biggest
issue – which he couldn’t really help – is that he’s not as tall as the book
describes Peeta to be, but Hutcherson’s acting performance makes up for that
little qualm. In the book and movie, Peeta has a crush on Katniss. The way
Hutcherson shows this is by making his affections noticeable to people who have
read the book and already know his feelings, but not making it too overt. Peeta
is a gentle, loveable character and Hutcherson brings that to life quite well.
Haymitch Abernathy is District
12’s only living victor and designated mentor to Katniss and Peeta for the
games. This role is filled by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson is a good actor and
played his part to the expectations of the director, but I personally did not
like how the character was portrayed. In the book, Haymitch is much darker. He
is the only living victor of his district and each year, he watches the
tributes he mentors get slaughtered in the games, while he drinks his pain away.
In the book, Haymitch slowly gets around to helping Katniss and Peeta; he
didn’t want to get too close to them only to see them killed, like the tributes
before them. In the movie, he is a little hesitant at first to help them, but eventually
comes around. Harrelson’s performance has nothing to do with this issue. I
would say that Harrelson did his job very well, but I personally just don’t care
for the direction in which Gary Ross decided to take the character.
Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta’s escort to the
games, was played by the beautiful Elizabeth Banks. Banks’s performance was
very impressive. Her visual transformation to become Trinket was probably the
most impressive of the cast. She truly understood her character and truly
showed that although Effie is from the Capitol, she is not, herself, a villain;
it’s simply the lifestyle she grew up around.
Musician Lenny Kravitz took on
the role of Cinna, Katniss’s stylist for the games. When I first found out
Kravitz was playing one of my favourite characters, I had my doubts. But in the
end, I think he played the part very well. He gave off the same relaxing vibe
that Cinna was known for in the book. For someone who without much acting
experience, he did very well.
Stanley Tucci’s performance as Caesar Flickerman
was one of my favourite performances in the entire movie. Flickerman is the televisual
host of the Games and interviews each tribute beforehand. The way Tucci took on
this character was amazing. I would personally give him his own talk show after
watching this movie, and watch it every week.
Another major character in the
series is Katniss’s long-time friend and hunting buddy, Gale Hawthorne. Gale is
played by Liam Hemsworth, known for dating teen sensation Miley Cyrus and for
being the younger brother of Thor
actor Chris Hemsworth. You don’t see too much of Hemsworth in this installment,
but from what little acting I did see, he was alright. I am not really sold on
his performance just yet because I feel like I didn’t see enough to make me
decide if I’m okay with Hemsworth playing this character. Once the next movie comes
out, I believe I will be able to make that judgment call.
Finally, President Snow was played by the legendary
Donald Sutherland. You don’t get to see too much of Snow in this first movie,
either, but Sutherland gives a powerful performance. He gives off the vibes of
an authoritarian president and becomes a terrifying character when you realize
what he is capable of.
I also have to take my hat off to
the following actors:
Each of these actors had the job of bringing a character to
life that they learned little about in the book. The best example is Wes
Bentley as Seneca Crane, the “director” of the 74th annual Hunger
Games. You never see Seneca Crane in the first book; you only hear of him.
Bentley pretty much had to start from Square One with this character. He made
Seneca a popular game-maker who loves his job and is very dedicated to please
the Capitol viewers.
Aside from the actors, the setting for this
movie was great. From the poverty-stricken District 12 to the extravagant
Capitol, everything was well envisioned. District 12 may remind of you of olden
times, with less technology than we have today. When the movie begins, you may
not even believe the story is actually set in the future. When you look at the
district, you get to see just how poor it is and how much control the Capitol
has over it.
The Capitol itself looks very futuristic and emulates
raw power. Stone walls and cutting-edge technology help give it that vibe. The
Capitol looks like the exact opposite of District 12. All of the people are
wealthy and worry more about their appearance then surviving.
The soundtrack for this movie was also
beautifully done. One particular piece of music I’d like to focus on is the selection
that plays at the initial bloodbath at the start of the Games, when it’s a
free-for-all. Most moviegoers would
expect an intense rock song to be played the moment the tributes step off their
pedestals and are thrown into a fight for their lives, but composer James
Newton Howard chooses to set the scene with music that shows how terrified the
tributes must be. It drives home the fact that these are kids killing
themselves to survive and really hits you hard.
The biggest difference about this movie compared to the book,
though, is the way the reader/viewer experiences it. The book is set in the
first-person; you read Katniss’s thoughts and experience everything that she
does. The movie is set in the third-person. As such, although you don’t get to
know Katniss’s exact thoughts, you get to see some things that Katniss doesn’t.
These consist of;
- -Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith
commentating the games
-An uprising in District 13
- Seneca Crane and the game makers orchestrating
the Games
-President Snow speaking with Seneca
-Haymitch speaking with sponsors
- Life in the Capitol
- District audiences watching the games
So, although we miss out on hearing Katniss’s every thought,
we get to see so much more that is very appealing to a movie audience.
In conclusion, I feel like this book was represented as a
movie very well. The book is still infinitely better, but Gary Ross represented
Suzanne Collins work in the best way possible with his adaptation of The Hunger
Games.
ALL IMAGES
USED HERE ARE PROPERTY OF LIONSGATE ENTERTAINMENT!
Written by Marcie Culbert.
The Hunger Games is a three-part book series
written by author Suzanne Collins. The books are set in a futuristic world
where what we know as North America is a country called Panem where there are
twelve districts (remaining of an original thirteen) which act as provinces or
states. The districts are ruled by the Capitol, the heart of Panem, ruled by
President Snow. Each year, one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and
18 from each of the twelve districts are chosen to go into an event called the
Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a live-televised event throughout Panem,
where each tribute fights to the death until a lone victor remains. This victor
will go back to their home district as a hero and the district will be rewarded
with food. The first book in the saga follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen of District
12 as she volunteers to take her sister’s place in the 74th annual
Hunger Games. This book is the one that has been turned into a movie, directed
by Gary Ross, which has recently been released on Blu-Ray and DVD.
The male tribute from District 12
is Peeta Mellark, played in the film by Josh Hutcherson. When the casting
information was released, some people were a little upset because he didn’t look
the part as described in the book. But once he gained some muscle and dyed his
naturally brown hair blonde, he won over the hearts of most fans. The biggest
issue – which he couldn’t really help – is that he’s not as tall as the book
describes Peeta to be, but Hutcherson’s acting performance makes up for that
little qualm. In the book and movie, Peeta has a crush on Katniss. The way
Hutcherson shows this is by making his affections noticeable to people who have
read the book and already know his feelings, but not making it too overt. Peeta
is a gentle, loveable character and Hutcherson brings that to life quite well.
Haymitch Abernathy is District
12’s only living victor and designated mentor to Katniss and Peeta for the
games. This role is filled by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson is a good actor and
played his part to the expectations of the director, but I personally did not
like how the character was portrayed. In the book, Haymitch is much darker. He
is the only living victor of his district and each year, he watches the
tributes he mentors get slaughtered in the games, while he drinks his pain away.
In the book, Haymitch slowly gets around to helping Katniss and Peeta; he
didn’t want to get too close to them only to see them killed, like the tributes
before them. In the movie, he is a little hesitant at first to help them, but eventually
comes around. Harrelson’s performance has nothing to do with this issue. I
would say that Harrelson did his job very well, but I personally just don’t care
for the direction in which Gary Ross decided to take the character.
Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta’s escort to the
games, was played by the beautiful Elizabeth Banks. Banks’s performance was
very impressive. Her visual transformation to become Trinket was probably the
most impressive of the cast. She truly understood her character and truly
showed that although Effie is from the Capitol, she is not, herself, a villain;
it’s simply the lifestyle she grew up around.
Stanley Tucci’s performance as Caesar Flickerman
was one of my favourite performances in the entire movie. Flickerman is the televisual
host of the Games and interviews each tribute beforehand. The way Tucci took on
this character was amazing. I would personally give him his own talk show after
watching this movie, and watch it every week.
Finally, President Snow was played by the legendary
Donald Sutherland. You don’t get to see too much of Snow in this first movie,
either, but Sutherland gives a powerful performance. He gives off the vibes of
an authoritarian president and becomes a terrifying character when you realize
what he is capable of.
I also have to take my hat off to
the following actors:
-
Alexander Ludwig as Cato (District 2 tribute)
-
Isabelle Furman as Clove (District 2 tribute)
-
Amandla Stenburg as Rue (District 11 tribute)
-
Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh (District 11 tribute)
-
Jackson Quaid as Marvel (District 1 tribute)
-
Leven Rambin as Glimmer (District 1 tribute)
-
Jackie Emerson as Foxface (District 5 tribute)
-
Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane (Head game maker)
Each of these actors had the job of bringing a character to
life that they learned little about in the book. The best example is Wes
Bentley as Seneca Crane, the “director” of the 74th annual Hunger
Games. You never see Seneca Crane in the first book; you only hear of him.
Bentley pretty much had to start from Square One with this character. He made
Seneca a popular game-maker who loves his job and is very dedicated to please
the Capitol viewers.
Aside from the actors, the setting for this
movie was great. From the poverty-stricken District 12 to the extravagant
Capitol, everything was well envisioned. District 12 may remind of you of olden
times, with less technology than we have today. When the movie begins, you may
not even believe the story is actually set in the future. When you look at the
district, you get to see just how poor it is and how much control the Capitol
has over it.
The Capitol itself looks very futuristic and emulates
raw power. Stone walls and cutting-edge technology help give it that vibe. The
Capitol looks like the exact opposite of District 12. All of the people are
wealthy and worry more about their appearance then surviving.
The soundtrack for this movie was also
beautifully done. One particular piece of music I’d like to focus on is the selection
that plays at the initial bloodbath at the start of the Games, when it’s a
free-for-all. Most moviegoers would
expect an intense rock song to be played the moment the tributes step off their
pedestals and are thrown into a fight for their lives, but composer James
Newton Howard chooses to set the scene with music that shows how terrified the
tributes must be. It drives home the fact that these are kids killing
themselves to survive and really hits you hard.
The biggest difference about this movie compared to the book,
though, is the way the reader/viewer experiences it. The book is set in the
first-person; you read Katniss’s thoughts and experience everything that she
does. The movie is set in the third-person. As such, although you don’t get to
know Katniss’s exact thoughts, you get to see some things that Katniss doesn’t.
These consist of;
- -Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith commentating the games
-An uprising in District 13
- Seneca Crane and the game makers orchestrating the Games
-President Snow speaking with Seneca
-Haymitch speaking with sponsors
- Life in the Capitol
- District audiences watching the games
- -Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith commentating the games
-An uprising in District 13
- Seneca Crane and the game makers orchestrating the Games
-President Snow speaking with Seneca
-Haymitch speaking with sponsors
- Life in the Capitol
- District audiences watching the games
So, although we miss out on hearing Katniss’s every thought,
we get to see so much more that is very appealing to a movie audience.
In conclusion, I feel like this book was represented as a
movie very well. The book is still infinitely better, but Gary Ross represented
Suzanne Collins work in the best way possible with his adaptation of The Hunger
Games.
Written by Marcie Culbert.
