In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts.
For anyone who has read any quotes suggesting The Hunger Games is 'the next Twilight'
and finds them offputting then ignore them. Beyond The Hunger Games being another book-to-film adaptation, the comparisons are baseless. After all, Harry Potter was the same, as was Lord of the Rings, and even something completely different like The Shining.
There are many book adaptations out there that you simply cannot compare. Yes, they may have a predominantly teen fanbase, but believe me when I say The Hunger Games is a much more adult themed series with more violent and heartbreaking scenes that put anything in the Twilight saga to shame. As a 29 year old male, I can truthfully say that The Hunger Games has something for everyone - something Twilight could only dream of.
This home release comes less than six months after its cinema run, allowing fans to
catch up before the sequel Catching Fire is released at the end of 2013. Led by Jennifer
Lawrence (X-Men: First Class, Winter's Bone) as Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games
presents a post-apocalyptic vision of the nation of Panem, home to twelve districts
formerly known as North America. The title refers to an annual event featuring a boy and
girl participant from each district who fight to the death. This exists as a punishment due to a previous uprising against those in charge - referred to as the Capitol, a wealthy area at the centre of all districts.
Katniss volunteers to be a 'tribute' after her sister Primrose (Willow Shields) is selected for District 12 as a participant, alongside Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the male selection. There can only be one winner, and so even if both tributes from a district make it to the end, they must then fight to the death themselves. What unfolds is a story full of heartbreak, tragedy, revenge, violence and love. A message of uprising and cowardice, alongside the fight to survive at any cost. Many questions are raised but none more important than what would you do to survive in the world?
Without wanting to give too much away, there are twists and turns along the journey to
victory, and not everything or everyone is as you would expect. Katniss makes a far more
believable and easier to support character than someone like Bella in Twilight, and the
situation is more complex than the fantasy of wolves and vampires. Real messages of a
Big Brother nation and oppression exist in The Hunger Games, and there's a depth to the
story that can teach viewers a thing or two about family and how to live their lives.
Lawrence gives Katniss a warmth and sympathy that means you desperately want her to win without compromising her character - a loving and caring sister and daughter. Others are quick to throw away their morals for a quick kill or to become idolised by those watching the Games on television.
Lawrence is surrounded by a stellar cast including Woody Harrelson as Haymitch
Abernathy, a previous Hunger Games victor; Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus
Snow; and a number of young stars such as Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne and Amandla Stenberg as Rue. Quite possibly the best role goes to Stanley Tucci as Caesar
Flickerman, the charismatic scene stealer and TV personality. Tucci is in his element here and sparkles every time he is on screen. With so many Districts, not all tributes get much screen time, but the main ones are all fleshed out well and deliver some drama and emotion beyond similar 'young adult' stories.
Director Gary Ross does a fantastic job of making The Hunger Games feel fresh and modern, delivering feelings of war, romance, tragedy and hope all in one movie. The
colours and vibrancy alongside the desolation and desperation are perfectly balanced, and the over 2 hours running time flies by without any wasted time. Every sound of an arrow firing or leaves crunching is heard perfectly on this Blu-ray release, as if you're almost right there in the woods with the Games participants. The picture is crisp and captures the mood perfectly in every location. Not only are the characters perfectly presented on screen with their dialogue and costumes, but the differences between the Capitol, the Districts and the Games arena are contrasted effectively.
The Hunger Games is a movie worth watching with as little knowledge as possible, that
way you'll be as shocked and surprised as anyone should be. The plot twists and deaths
work very well, as you're emotionally invested in many of the participants and yet you
know only one can win. So with any special features - make sure you watch them AFTER the main feature! "The World is Watching" especially is a multi-part feature which goes into
great depth about the book-to-film process, and provides a fascinating insight into the
struggles of adapting source material and keeping the existing fanbase happy, while trying to appeal to a whole new area of potential fans. Gary Ross is very hands-on in a number of other features, and you respect the man for being aware of how to handle such a project.
There is more than enough on this Blu-ray release for even the most avid of Hunger Games fans right through to the casual interest. If you have the facilities to play the HD
release then certainly pick this up as The Hunger Games is one of the best looking and
sounding releases of 2012. "May the odds be ever in your favour."
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Gary Ross directs this sci-fi action film based on the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins. Jennifer Lawrence stars as 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a citizen of the totalitarian post-apocalyptic country of Panem, formerly the United States. Every year, the all-powerful ruling agency known as the Capitol selects one boy and one girl from each of Panem's 12 impoverished rival districts to fight to the death on live national television in a contest known as 'The Hunger Games', in which the winner is given food to feed their entire district for a year. When her younger sister Primrose (Willow Shields) is selected as a contestant, Katniss steps up to take her place in the match. Under the tutelage of inebriated former champion Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), Katniss goes into training for the fight of her life.
Inspired by the best-selling young-adult novel by author Suzanne Collins, THE HUNGER GAMES tells the dark tale of a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who is selected to compete in a vicious televised tournament in which 24 teenagers from a post-apocalyptic society fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth co-star.
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