The Gist: Due to past insurrections, every year a lottery picks a male and a female teenager from each of the 12 districts of Panem to fight to the death until one tribute survives and is crowned the winner. Katniss Everdeen volunteers when her younger sister is picked at random.
Adapted from a hugely successful novel, The Hunger Games is very effective in causing bafflement and shock in the viewer. How can something like this really happen. How can parents tacitly send their young children to fight to the death for a televised show? In our time of reality-TV craze, however, this really does sound like the ultimate mass audience lure.
Jennifer Lawrence, previously admired in Winter’s Bone, does an excellent job, as does the handsome Josh Hutcherson, of The Kids Are All Right glory. The actors and actresses picked as the other tributes are all good too (Hello Alexander Ludwig!!!!) and smaller roles are filled expertly by Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.
The Bottom Line: I haven’t read the book but I can assume that a lot was cut in the movie adaptation. Nevertheless, The Hunger Games is very entertaining and it also makes the viewer think about what is occurring right in front of him.
Grade: 7
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