"The Hunger Games'

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

Having been amply hyped, anticipated, and adored, but also shrouded in controversy, “The Hunger Games” is on everyone’s mind. For good reason, too. This is a really interesting story. It is exciting, disturbing and thought provoking, and I cannot wait to see the next one.

In “The Hunger Games”, hungry children fight to the death. These children don’t fight over food, resources or territory. They don’t fight because their parents are at war with each other. These children don’t have any reason whatsoever to dislike each other, and they wouldn’t normally inflict serious harm on others. They are kids, after all.

The children in “The Hunger Games” fight and kill each other because they are forced to do so by the ruling elite. They are forced to fight for sport—to amuse the wealthy—as some sort of sick punishment for a past rebellion that they played no part in.

Each year one boy and one girl—mostly teens and preteens—are randomly selected from each of 12 districts to compete in The Hunger Games. Those selected are brought to the Capitol, paraded around for the amusement of thousands of obnoxious spectators, and then pitted against each other in a battle royal. This brutal competition takes place in a giant arena that is designed to look like some natural environment, but which is controlled and manipulated at every turn. The child gladiators go into the arena empty handed, but they have a chance to pick up weapons and supplies along the way. The rules are simple: the last one living wins. Everyone else dies.

“The Hunger Games” is mostly about the contestants from District 12. District 12 usually has a hard time of it. They are the poorest and least equipped to fight in The Hunger Games. So they usually lose. However, this year is different. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a bright teenage girl and talented archer, volunteers to fight for district 12 in order to protect her little sister, who was originally selected. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) joins Katniss as the other District 12 representative. They, unlike their predecessors, are formidable contestants.

Katniss and Peeta are of course disgusted by the competition, and they are terribly afraid. But they have no choice but to play along with the pageantry of their oppressors and hope for the best. They work hard to prepare, and so they are cautiously optimistic.

When the day comes—that is, when the battle begins—Katniss and Peeta each have their own strategies. Katniss dashes into hiding. Her strategy is to evade the others while they pick each other off. Peeta, on the other hand, joins a pack of brawny kids who slaughter the weakest of their foes. Eventually, when only a few competitors remain after days of frantic struggle, Katniss and Peeta are reunited. They are bruised and bloodied, but still alive. One of them could win it all, but in order to survive, they have to work together and defeat kids that are bigger and stronger than they. And when a twist is thrown their way, they have to be ready.

What a cool story. Right? A lot of people are upset by this movie’s depiction of violence to children. And there is no doubt about it: “The Hunger Games” is unsettling. Whether it is a little girl being hacked to death by a sword or a boy having his neck snapped by another boy, there is no denying that this movie is gruesome and disturbing. I guess that’s part of the point, though. We should be bothered by the movie. And we should think about why it is bothersome, too. Otherwise, aren’t we just like the hoards of mindless spectators in the movie who only care about feeling good and being entertained?

There are many virtues of this film. The acting is quite good. The pace keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. The cinematography is captivating, the costumes are fantastic, the editing is great, and so on. There is a lot to recommend here.

But really, “The Hunger Games” is all about the story. It is rich and complex; its premise is novel, but it also taps into some pretty deep, age-old themes. I haven’t read the books yet. I think I ought to.