The Hunger Games Movie Review

Major Spoilers are included in this movie review. Please read with caution.

On July 19, 2020, I rewatched The Hunger Games movie to do a comparison on the book, as I reread the novel recently back on June 7, 2020. This was one of my favorite books to read back in high school, so reliving the experience had been nostalgic and educational.

For those interested in my book review, the link is here.

Synopsis: Released on March 23, 2012, the movie centers around Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a sixteen-year-old girl from District Twelve. Katniss volunteers for the annual Hunger Games to keep her younger sister Prim (Willow Shields) from participating when her name was somehow drawn on Reaping Day. Katniss’ surreal experiences—broken into three parts—preparing, engaging, and surviving the Games are what drove the main story.

Unlike the book, the movie had the creative freedom to showcase the dystopian world Katniss lived in because it wasn’t limited to the first-person POV narrative structure. In fact, the most compelling scenes were the ones shown outside the arena with the people—from all the Districts—watching the Hunger Games and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) explaining why the Districts needed a winner, so they could contain the little hope they had left.

The scenes with President Snow couldn’t possibly be included in the novel due to the first-person perspective but having them included in the movie helped enhance the dystopian theme already present in the movie’s narrative. Also, introducing President Snow this early on likely helped enhance his sinister presence for the future movies. I remembered he was a compelling antagonist during Catching Fire.

I also enjoyed how the movie handled the exposition:

Seventy some years ago, the twelve Districts of a country named Panen revolted against the Captiol, where the rich and powerful resided. This exposition was naturally—forcibly—given in a TV reality show in order to remind the Districts on how they failed, and how these Hunger Games—where each District must give up a male and female tribute on Reaping Day—helped “safeguard their future”. In addition, reframing the exposition through a reality TV show revealed how some people of the Capitol—mostly the rich people—loved watching these tributes kill each other in an arena for their own entertainment.

Let’s move onto our main protagonist. Jennifer Lawrence played an excellent Katniss Everdeen. Honestly, I didn’t really like Jennifer Lawrence in any other movie role (example: Mystique from X-Men: First Class). I only liked her as Katniss because Lawrence conveys Katniss’ heroism, independence, and need to survive well throughout the film, no matter what she encounters during the Games. The connection she had with District 11 tribute Rue (Amandla Stenberg) was also compelling. The death scene and the riot in District 11 immediately afterwards were emotionally raw, especially since I rewatched this movie during the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter Movement 2020.

Overall, I would recommend watching this movie if y’all are looking for something to watch. The action scenes were done well. They’re not super amazing compared to today’s movies, but I still found ways to enjoy them. Watching Katniss Everdeen use a bow and arrow will always be a pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to read this movie review! Let’s keep it reading!