The Hunger Games | Eastern North Carolina Now

   This was the reasoning behind the "reaping" of the 24 adolescent children (two each: one male, one female from the 12 districts), whom would be sacrificed in body and spirit, with only one to survive, as participants in the Hunger Games. Allow one to survive, through the survivalist gladiatorial combat ritual of the games to express hope. And then force the remaining 23 children to be slaughtered as a reminder of the people's abject subjugation to the corrupt government of Panem.

    In District 12, Katnis Everdeen's home district, we see a district, with an economy built on the state run industry of coal miners. Total Hunger is yet another device of the State of Panem, which more resemble the former USSR than the United States, to keep the people in check. From the film, we learn that hunting is forbidden, yet Katnis is still practices the craft to survive on better than the meager rations provided; however, nothing is mentioned in this 142 minute film regarding the people's inability to raise their own bounty of edible sustenance. If this is the truly the Hunger Games, and the lack of food as a public controlling device is part of the story, take a few minutes to explain why folks are not allowed to raise that which will take away the hunger.


   This omission of economic fact, for a film that is built upon the premise of an economic / corrupt government based model of public survival is unforgivable from a story telling perspective, and leaves a big hole in this yarn for an intelligent audience. In film and literature, the audience is beckoned to suspend disbelief, but only to the extent of that artists talent to make us disbelieve the reality of what we know versus the fantasy of the story told. In this regard, Director Gary Ross's depiction of the Suzanne Collin's tale fails.
Effie Trinket (left), Elizabeth Banks, Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson (center) and Katnis Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, feast, while Katnis trains, and they all wait for the games to begin: Above.    Director Ross chose, on multiple occasions, to tell this story by drawing us in, through the jerky images of a camera immersed into the crowds of moving, interacting, or fighting people, which is designed to tell the story from the participants' point of view. For a film that is purely Science Fiction in nature, this is a most difficult manner to tell a story that has little basis in some reality point of logical human experience. In this regard, the camera lingers too long on images, and therefore the story, through those images, moves too slow to visually tell the story in the allotted 142 minutes of run-time. The wise makers of good films never allow the length of the film out run to essential time needed to tell a proper story. Sadly, "The Hunger Games" poorly employs its allotted time, with the result being too many gaps, in theme, for an intelligent person to suspend disbelief to the point of empathy.

   By comparison with the film's unavoidable parent in terms of theme and grand ambition to express that point, Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" needed only 155 minutes to tell a much larger story, and make a much larger inspirational impact with its audience. It is just a much smarter film in the telling of a much larger, but unavoidably similar story.
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, while training for the games, exhibits that he possesses a rare talent in camouflage: Above. Katnis and Peeta share a rare reflective moment while training to kill all participants in the games, including each other. It is a Gladiator's quest: Below.
   The inadequate presentation of this story notwithstanding, there are some positives to treatment of this tale of the desperation of spirit in a corrupt society: The acting was quite good, and along with ocular sensation of scenery and set, probably saved the film for me. Jennifer Lawrence is a wonderful actress and a wise selection for the Katnis presented in this adaptation. Elizabeth Banks, as Effie Trinket, is one of the most versatile actresses practicing her craft today, equally comfortable with comedy and drama, and did not disappoint as the decadent dame. Josh Hutcherson as the male Tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark, is the timid muse to the persevering Katnis, and handles his role well enough to be believable and still allow Lawrence's Katnis to be the unambiguous center of this morality play, mistold, but still worth one's time to experience.
Katnis Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, finds a way to persevere and exhibits that true champions never lose the ability to know compassion: Above and below.
   Even though I have well expressed my complaints with the telling of this tale, I do believe that this theme of: dying societies have routinely traveled the same path, and have not only tolerated, but celebrated the decadence of permissiveness toward all manner of hedonism, and the societal self-loathing manifested through the corporal destruction of others, and the resultant spiritual void of a spiritless conscience, must be repeatedly told. As it was with the decadent demise of the great Roman Empire, possibly beginning with Emperor Commodus, nations that encourage sloth to placate the masses always fail. Rome did avoid it, likewise, the futuristic Capitol of Panem will not avoid it. I contiuously pray for the United States of America.

   Rated PG13. Release in theaters March 23, 2012.