A few things to get out of the way first. For some reason film nerds have taken it upon themselves to blast “The Hunger Games” books and movie as a rip-off of __________ . As if dystopian science fiction tales were invented this decade, or even this century for that matter. There are elements of the “The Most Dangerous Game” written in 1924, made into a movie in 1932. It’s strongest connection is to the Japanese film “Battle Royale” that pits a group of 15 year old students against each other in an arena with exploding neck collars, which will be used  if they don’t battle to the death over a three day period. That film and book borrow heavily not only from the book I mentioned earlier but also from two Rutger Hauer films from the early 90′s “Surviving the Game” and “Wedlock”, which in turn owe heavily to ______ and ______ . Do you get the point? “The Hunger Games” is no more a ripoff than “Star Wars”, “Avatar” or any other popular cinema or writing is. If you are that worried about it read some Joseph Campbell and realize that humanity has been telling the same stories over and over since the dawn of communication and you are no smarter for pointing it out, as the people who enjoy it. RANT OVER!

I read the “Hunger Games” series over a 3 day period during last year’s Christmas break. They are an easy fluid read and the storytelling, characters, and situations are all gripping. All three books fit the definition of a “page turner”, and make the reader hungry for more, pun intended. As I burned through the books I kept thinking, “why are these books meant for young adults?” The only answer I assume, is that the prose and vocabulary are at the level that a young adult can read and understand?  The reason it is so puzzling to me is because the subject matter is frightening. In a not so distant future, civil war and nuclear fall out have caused North America(now known as Panem) to be split into 13 districts, one of which(district 13) was obliterated for rising up against the Capitol which is where the wealthy and decadent rulers all live. Once a year The Hunger Games are held where each district gives two “tributes”(children between the ages of 13-18) to the Capitol to take part in a fight to the death reality TV show in which only one of those children will live.  Heavy stuff, and all the more reason I was enthralled by the subject matter, ultra-violence, fascism, rebellion, the entire series is an allegory for America now. Men in far away palaces decide the fate of our children by declaring war on other nations and we send them to die behind calls of patriotism, Jesus, and the American way. The basic form of appeasement for the masses in the Roman Empire was “panem et circenses” which means “give them bread and circuses”. A great way to keep the status quo, only through time governments have been overthrown for not offering enough of one or the other. There is also deep meaning in how those wars effect our young, defining some of their most impressionable years by death and slaughter. This has been a growing issue in our society as the last two wars have caused massive amounts of PTSD in a generation of young people who believed-truly that they and their country were doing the right thing. As I said, this is really heavy stuff. As I read through the books my thoughts kept leaning toward the movies(which were in production at the time). How could they make this a movie for their intended audience? How could a book with this much violence ever make it to the big screen and stay faithful to it’s subject matter? It’s not just the violence, Haymitch, a previous winner of the Games and mentor to the two tributes from District 12, is a puking, hungover, stumbling, alcoholic. The team assembled to design & decorate Katniss(the newest tribute from District 12) for the games are obsessed with make-up, bulimia, and plastic surgery. All of these characters play a major part in the books and each are delicately handled and developed with great care. Although Katniss and Peeta, the son of a baker who joins Katniss as the other tribute from District 12, are the main characters there are so many more that have fully developed story lines. This isn’t the first time that a book had too much material to translate on to the screen, and it will hardly be the last, but when you get emotionally involved in the book you feel like you have a stake in the movie.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AND THEY WILL BE MARKED LIKE THIS (SPOILER!!!)

The film version of “The Hunger Games” hits so many notes correctly that it’s hard to punish it for missing some crucial ones. In fact the fascinating thing about going with a large group of people who also read the books is you find out what is crucial to you is probably completely different than what is crucial to someone else. Suzanne Collins should be highly commended for creating such a vast and intricate world that each readers imagination took it and ran with it in their own direction. I for one, did not like the love story and mostly thought it was throw away filler(or a great selling point for the “young adult” audience, Twilight be damned). Many others ONLY cared about the romance, and war and rebellion were just a backdrop to watch love unfold on. I was very happy to see the love story toned way down in the film version. I thought it was a lot more realistically portrayed on screen than the Saved by the Bell Slater, Kelly, Zack triangle that the book seemed to fall in to, especially during the cave sequence.

Director Gary Ross(“Seabiscuit”, “Pleasantville”) pushes through the narrative at break neck speed and has camera work to match. I was not a fan of the queazy cam hand held work in the first 30 minutes, but it seemed to calm down as the film went on and was handled just right during The Games with a mix of  hand held POV shots and surveillance from the reality TV show. Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss to perfection and I think this movie fails without her at the center. The toughest thing about Katniss is she is simultaneously innocent, experienced, weak, and strong,  always falling in on herself and then rising from the ashes. Throughout the books she is constantly in flux, in a book with great exposition you can fully flesh this out, on screen this is a monster of a challenge. Lawrence pulls it off and some, she’s fantastic. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta is equally good in his role as the big burly poetic son of a baker who keeps calm and outsmarts the field. My biggest concerns prior to seeing the film were Lenny Kravitz as Cinna(who was my favorite character in the book) and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. Kravitz succeeds as Cinna playing a competent designer with a lot more on his mind. Woody plays Haymitch just fine as he is written for the movie, unfortunately the wounded, broken, alcoholic Haymitch that so much of the book series hinges on is toned way down for the movie. This worries me because as the series progresses Haymitch becomes so much more important and his brokenness is central to the story’s development.

I apologize for the point by point break down of book vs. film, simply as a movie “The Hunger Games” succeeds tremendously. There are so many things to compare, the book to the movie, the movie to to other young adult adaptations(Twilight, Harry Potter) that it’s hard to keep it in perspective as a stand alone piece of art. The acting is all phenomenal, the photography is beautiful sweeping from the rugged Appalachian terrain of District 12, to the clean futuristic beauty of the Capitol. Ross juxtaposes the every day desperation of life in the districts to the opulence and decadence of the Capitol with enough imagery that the need to discuss it like the book spent so much time doing is not necessary. There are two segments of the film that are so perfect that they elevate the emotional weight of the film and engage the audience, inviting them in to this world and these characters. SPOILERS!!! The first comes at the reaping, which is basically a lottery choosing which kids from each district will participate in the games. Names are drawn from a bowl and the winner(loser) is entered into the games. Katniss’ young sister Primrose is selected, at any point during the reaping another child can “volunteer” taking the place of the person whose name is drawn, and Katniss volunteers in Primrose’s place. Katniss in desperation springs forward barely breathing, hardly thinking and sacrifices herself for her young sibling. It’s emotional, and immediately you will love Katniss Everdeen and admire her strength and will to survive. In the games Katniss makes an unlikely partnership with a small girl named Rue. Rue is a climber and hider, she is sweet, small and beautiful. They team up to destroy the supplies of the other kids who have formed an alliance, Rue will set up distractions and Katniss will blow up the supplies. After Katniss succeeds she rushes back to find Rue only to discover she’s been caught in a trap, Before Katniss can set her free Rue is killed with a spear by another kid, who in turn is killed by an arrow from Katniss. In a game that is all about the fight for survival and the need to win, Katniss stops long enough to fill Rue’s hands with flowers and weep over her body. As she leaves Rue, she looks up knowing the camera’s are watching and she gives a salute to Rue’s hometown district. We then see her district, who is watching the Games, salute back. It’s a powerful moment and one that will resonate through the rest of the series. SPOILERS OVER!!!

It’s so hard to separate the book from the movie that I will stop trying now. The things that were handled right were Katniss and Peeta, the games as a whole, the atmosphere and world of Panem, and the rebellion. Since the book is only from the point of view of Katniss I wondered how they would handle Haymitch getting sponsors, Seneca Crane’s mishandling of the Games, and the rebellion brewing in the districts. Each peek into those windows was great albeit very small. At 2 hours and 20 minutes it flies by and really could have been 2 more hours long and I would not have complained. Although the film is PG-13 it is brutal, and a lot of the violence is up there on the screen. The audience I watched it with had an average age of probably 15 which is still fascinating to me considering the subject matter. They laughed in inappropriate places and I heard a couple girls grumbling about the lack of love story. That’s a good sign for the film going audience, and a tribute to the filmmakers. The things that were handled badly, and bad is the wrong word, nothing was handled badly, but there were things I thought needed to be more prominent. SPOILERS!!!! Katniss’ search for water at the start of the games is absolutely non-existent in the movie. Haymitch’s alcoholism and brokenness(which I touched on earlier). The design team’s(Effie and her crew) obsession with food, fashion, and plastic surgery. I thought in the book you really get a good juxtaposition between the working class and the Capitol through Katniss and Effie’s relationship which does not really go anywhere in the film. I thought the Mockingjay pin’s origin change was silly and it was more important for it to come from the Mayor’s daughter in District 12. SPOILERS OVER!!!!

Overall the film is great and a wonderful start to a really good story. I’m interested to see where the films go, I thought that “The Hunger Games” would be hard to bring to the screen, I think the next two in the series present an even harder challenge. I’m excited that after probably making about $125 million this weekend it is a guarantee that we will get to see the next two, probably three films(Mockingjay will undoubtedly get the 2 movie treatment).

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” – Joseph Campbell

I think this is true of Katniss in “The Hunger Games”, unfortunately for her, and fortunately for us, she is just getting started.