The Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

Director:

Gary Ross

Writers:

Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (screenplay),

Stars:

Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 27 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stanley Tucci	...	Caesar Flickerman
Wes Bentley	...	Seneca Crane
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Katniss Everdeen
Willow Shields	...	Primrose Everdeen
Liam Hemsworth	...	Gale Hawthorne
Elizabeth Banks	...	Effie Trinket
Sandra Ellis Lafferty	...	Hob Vendor (as Sandra Lafferty)
Paula Malcomson	...	Katniss' Mother
Rhoda Griffis	...	Registration Woman
Sandino Moya	...	Propaganda Film Tribute (as Sandino Moya-Smith)
Josh Hutcherson	...	Peeta Mellark
Raiko Bowman	...	Peeta's Mother
Dwayne Boyd	...	Peacekeeper #1
Anthony Reynolds	...	Peacekeeper #2
Judd Lormand	...	Peacekeeper #3

Storyline

In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal retribution for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.

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Plot Keywords:

game | volunteer | future | dystopian | teenager | 

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Taglines:

The World Will Be Watching

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens

Details

Official Sites:

Lionsgate [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los juegos del hambre

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$78,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$152,535,747 (USA) (23 March 2012)

Gross:

$407,999,255 (USA) (31 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Color Force

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the early scenes depicting life in District 12, an homage to Dorothea Lange's iconic Depression-era photo is seen in the shot of the lady looking out the window with her fingers on one cheek. Later in the film, the Reaping scene features images of the same grand neo-classical architecture, '40s style microphones, and red birds of prey banners that were all part of the Third Reich.

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Goofs

When Katniss is seeing images on the window of her penthouse room, in the forest image, when her face is focused, there is hair in front of her left eye. But after shifting to the forest image and then shifting back to her face, there is no hair in front of her left eye.

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Quotes

Katniss Everdeen: Peeta! Peeta!
Peeta Mellark: Are you okay?
Katniss Everdeen: I heard the cannon... that's nightlock, Peeta! You'll be dead in a minute!
Peeta Mellark: I didn't know.
Katniss Everdeen: You scared me to death! Damn you!
[hugs him]
Peeta Mellark: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.120 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Allt varð hljótt"
Written and Performed by 'Olafur Arnalds'
Courtesy of Erased Tapes Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Battle Royale with cheese

In a cinematic world of re-makes, re-imaginings and full-blown copies, it's inevitable to see a movie like The Hunger Games wallow in the limelight and hysteria of mainstream banality and post-Potter hunger simply because it's there. Adapted from Suzanne Collins' trilogy of teen- friendly novels, The Hunger Games looks set to follow in the well-off footsteps of Harry Potter and the soon-to-cease Twilight as the next big-money, low-brow saga for the GCSE bound masses.

This moderately engaging adaptation of Collins' first novel plays like a pre-teen spin on Battle Royale. Director Gary Ross shoots for a futurist-retro sense of uprising, endurance and wonder and in the eyes and minds of 11 year-olds, he's on target. There's plenty to behold, but little to absorb. Despite all efforts, The Hunger Games is starved of a character or scenario to really care about.

A hyped-up, cheesy and dumbed down treatise on human nature, spirit, freedom and TV culture, this is a badly-acted, action-crammed movie built on a much explored prophecy that's been residing in both literature and film for years; a nightmare dystopia in which society is slave to a tyrannical regime. But what do you know; there's a rebellion on the cards. And guess what? It's only lead by an unlikely yet inspiring hero. The Hunger Games is nothing new, then, but hold your horses; pitting 24 kids against one another in a game of death on a top-secret island is an original idea that's sure to evoke sympathy, shock and compassion. Isn't it? Well, maybe, but not if you know your films; not if you've seen Battle Royale.

A bloody slice of social satire with shock and awe to spare, Battle Royale was by no means the first to offer up a glimpse into an oppressive fictional world where people are forced to fight to the death. Sparticus, Running Man and even Gladiator all touched upon on this idea of enslaved cock-fighting for the "greater good" and fun of a bent society.

Suzanne Collins' tale may not be a rip-off of Battle Royale, but it is a blatant source. In director Ross' big screen retooling, The Hunger Games is set in a far from terrifying, post-war America whose totalitarian government get their kicks from a legislation born out of the ashes of World War III; each of the country's 12 districts are to offer up one young girl and boy every year to slog it out on live TV in a last-kid-standing tournament set on a virtual island. This; a sacrificial homage to a nation's thirst for blood and conflict. A punishment for an early, post war rebellion. A tribute to state power; The Hunger Games.

The film follows Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), a steadfast teen who puts her life on the line when she volunteers to replace her younger sister in the upcoming games. What follows is a predictable tale of heroism and self-sacrifice as Katniss and clunky love interest Peeta (a wooden Josh Hutcherson) are wined, dined, trained and then hurled into a giant lion's den full of determined, blood-thirsty brats who are there to win, to kill. Will Katniss and Peeta fall in love? Will they both make it out alive? If not, will one of them be the victor? Do you care?

The Hunger Games is a self-assured, self-important piece of profit-reaping cinema whose potentially bleak and barbaric set-up cannot be realised through on screen peril, atmosphere, gore and violence due to its mild target audience. Alas, there is a lot of hand-held camera-work and rapid editing to cover up the scuffles, scraps, impact and blood. It doesn't work. Over-hyped and overdone; turns out it doesn't take much to tailor a totalitarian future concept for the modern-day youths; just strip it of all depth, complexity and darkness, throw in some weapons, some fire, a bit of romance and some heartthrobs and you'll be laughing all the way to the bank.