Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. After watching Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games I had a conversation with some fellow critics about the film and for the first time I truly felt what it was like for people talking with me after the first Harry Potter film.
It seemed like the fans of the books were saying the same things when I’d nitpick certain elements of the film. “Well, in the book…” or “Yeah, they explain that better in the book…” I remember very well telling people that in the first Harry Potter book it didn’t feel like a cop-out happy ending when Potter’s house was given all the last minute points to pull out a win because the book explained how many bullshit points were docked from them over the whole book. The movie didn’t, so it felt like a cheap win.
The Hunger Games is a franchise I have no prior history with, so I found the roles switched after watching the movie. I was now the one needing clarification, asking what was in the book and what wasn’t.
That’s not a bad thing, by the way. If the movie works it has to work as a film first and foremost. The best Potter movies did that, the LOTR films did that, the Bond films do that. I was very excited going into this movie, actually. I knew the Battle Royale parallels, but storywise that was about it. I did know they have a great young actress in the lead role and Gary Ross at the helm. The man wrote Big and directed Pleasantville, so he’ll always have a fan in me.
I want you all to know that I didn’t go in with a chip on my shoulder, scoffing at this newest young adult fiction adaptation so when I tell you that it’s a mixed bag you don’t think I made up my mind about this movie in advance.
Two people don’t know the set up, but for those two here’s the short short version: A civil war happened years ago. The losers now have to submit 2 “champions” (a boy and a girl) every year for The Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death.
Let’s start with the good, shall we? I like that the studio had the balls to keep kids as young as 8 in these deadly games. Jennifer Lawrence has proven her chops in Winter’s Bone and now has proof that she can lead a big budget film. I think a lot of people, fans especially, will overlook a lot of this movie’s faults based squarely on her strong, but vulnerable portrayal of Katniss Everdeen.
It’s a great, subtle, multi-layered performance. Ross protected her as an actress during filming and Katniss as a character during the writing process. She’s a strong role model, a quiet hero who can kick ass when needed, but is never cruel. Her kindness proves to be a strength many of her competitors undervalue.
I also dug how the rich live in this semi-Victorian paradise of pomp and circumstance and how that clashes with the almost Winter’s Bone-ish working class reality of the poor districts.
However once Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are picked the movie feels like it takes about 13 years to get to the actual games. We’re shown an endless parade of training and events that are all geared towards impressing sponsors, who can, at points, in the game buy care packages for their favorite contestants.
It’s an interesting premise, but one that is kind of glossed over in the actual games and since we don’t actually get to see any of the sponsors or get to know them at all there’s no drama to this section. We don’t see anybody swayed, instead it’s just a non-descript bunch of old, rich white dudes that we only ever really see in wide shots.
All that would be fine except we spend so much time on the sponsor side of things that I was expecting there to be a hook and, at least, a big pay off at the end, but the best they do is send some salve.
When the games actually start the pace picked up and I was once more invested in the movie. There were stakes, there were consequences and we were out of the theoretical, what could happen and were firmly planted in what WAS happening.
I know this is pressing buttons with the book’s fans, but I gotta be honest here… once you see Battle Royale the actual Hunger Games feel like the watered down, safe version of that story. The similarities between the two are just too close to ignore and in almost every instance Battle Royale did it more honestly, more interestingly and more real.
I tried my best to separate the two in my mind, but visually and thematically the two are just tied too closely together. I didn’t like that a lot of these kids were experts in killing. It works for Katniss because the only way she can keep her family fed is to hunt small critters with her bow. But then there’s a girl that throw knives like a carny in a sideshow act. I get it, there are districts that train their kids to be prepared for the games, but the beauty of the concept as shown in Battle Royale is that these kids are just that: kids.
It might be unfair to compare the two, but it was my honest headspace when watching the movie.
Then there’s the camera work which is disappointingly shaky. I understand needing to create a kinetic tone, but some of this work is just plain sloppy. Too close, too shaky. I’d guess that Ross uses that to hide a lot of the violence in order to keep his PG-13 rating, which is smart, but also makes the action in the film very confusing. Many of the fight scenes are incomprehensible and the aesthetic is even used in many of the dramatic scenes which only distracted me from the characters on the screen.
I’m also afraid that some crucial character information is skimmed over for us non-fans. It’s in there, but covered so casually that people like me might miss it. For instance, there’s a moment when Katniss is saved by one of the others in the game that totally threw me for a loop. Why the hell did this guy save her? It’s the first time he’s ever spoken in the damn movie and he helps his competition? It took some explaining afterwards by book readers to clarify why this was not only reasonable, but also a hugely emotional moment. That shouldn’t happen. You can’t count on every one of your audience members reading the source material. I pay attention at movies, so even though looking back I can see where this was set up it was done in too subtle a way for that moment to ring true when it actually happened.
I’m being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers, but I think fans of the book and those that see the movie will know what I’m talking about.
Those were my main issues with the movie, but I will give it credit for handling some really solid social criticism in a broader way and getting great performances from everybody involved, especially Lawrence and Hutcherson. The reason why I’d call my views mixed-positive is almost 100% because of their work in the movie.
Tom Stern’s cinematography is actually gorgeous when the camera was still enough to let us see any of it, Gary Ross’ direction was solid and the movie overall has a lot to say.
While I didn’t fully connect with it, the film is by no means a hollow piece of fluff and for that to be said about a big studio young adult franchise picture is high praise just by itself.
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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