The Hunger Games (2012)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Anti-fascist, populist art is a rare but vital thing, and Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy - and Gary Ross' first film adaptation - is one of the greatest examples.
  
  Its story is set in a dystopia where twelve districts are forced by the Capital to compete in an annual fight to the death which is broadcast as a reality tv show where the winner receives a life of riches. We follow chosen pair Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peter (Josh Hutcherson) from the poorest district as they prepare for the games and enter the arena at a huge disadvantage compared to tributes from the richer ones - complete with drunken mentor (Woody Harrelson) and lacking sponsorship.
  
  That story clearly has a lot to say about the way fascist propaganda works; using entertainment as a distraction, and selling the hope that people can be free if they work hard enough. But, following the central pair, it also has a lot to say about the challenge of resistance, the way class conflict keeps people from fighting the real powers, and ultimately, the power of exposing the evil of those in charge to the populous.
  
  Katniss does this in various ways; paying tribute to young contestant Rue, selling her romantic relationship with Peter to win public favour, and ultimately, refusing to die without them going together so the game makers are forced to bend to their will to avoid upsetting the viewers. That's powerful stuff for a mainstream blockbuster to tackle, from the grim poverty and authoritarian forces we see in district 12, to the clinical conversations in ivory towers in the Capital, it never shies away from the brutality.
  
  But the emotional impact only translates because the characters are so well drawn, and Katniss' journey is particularly powerful as she goes from sacrificing herself to go instead of her sister, to defiantly standing up to her rulers.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Some of the camerawork is a little too shaky.
  
  VERDICT: 'The Hunger Games,' deserves huge credit for being a blockbuster that isn't afraid to translate the brutality of its source material and translating its vital anti-fascist themes.

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