The Hunger Games (2012)

★★★½
The Hunger Games books carry the label of dystopian young adult fiction, but much like Robert Heinlein's juvenile novels (Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a standout), Suzanne Collins's stories have broad appeal that reaches well beyond the Y.A. demographic. She writes at a very high level and incorporates complex themes into a fast-paced narrative focused on combat and survival. Series protagonist Katniss Everdeen is plucky, cunning and resilient. She navigates a deadly contest planned and manipulated by gamemakers who have accepted the yearly sacrifice of children as a part of life. Their world of Panem consists of a highly centralized and authoritarian capital city (called the Capitol) and its 12 districts of varying degrees of poverty and disenchantment. Collins advances the plot efficiently and succeeds in simultaneously conveying Panem's geopolitical environment and maintaining a clear focus on Katniss's journey.

Director Gary Ross and his production team were up to the challenge. Tagged to bring forth a faithful adaptation of the first book, Ross delivered this rousing adventure that preserves the core themes of the book and tells the same tale of survival in an unforgiving arena while all Panem watches. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the deeply impoverished District 12, where coal mining is the life that awaits its citizens. Katniss grew up to be an expert hunter—a skill she uses to put food on the table and will later use when thrown into combat with tributes from the other eleven districts. An annual reaping is held in each district to select at random one boy and one girl aged 12-18 to travel to the Capitol to be treated as celebrities before being dropped into a large arena to fight to the death until one victor remains. For the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss, like all other youths in every district, dreads her name will be called, but an even bigger fear is that her younger sister Primrose could also be selected.

That is exactly what happens, as Primrose is the year's unfortunate tribute, but Katniss displays incredible self-sacrifice by volunteering herself in place of her younger sibling. For the boys, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is selected, and both are separated from their friends and loved ones to make the trip to the Capitol. They meet Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), District 12's only living victor and mentor to every tribute from his district ever since. He's an alcoholic with a complex backstory of his own, which is explored in Sunrise on the Reaping. At the Capitol, we meet the tributes from the other districts along with the dictatorial President Snow (Donald Sutherland), who presides over the games like a proud emperor entertaining the masses. There is pageantry that resembles the grandeur of a Roman gladiatorial event, and the glitzy media coverage perfectly captures the attention of an elitist population.

The Capitol is a vast city that sucks in the resources of the districts to feed itself, and the games are just another way to remind district citizens of their place in society. Long ago, an uprising against tyranny failed its objectives, and the games were created to serve as punishment ever since. We learn a little about the districts. Some are relatively well off. Cozying up to the Capitol has its benefits. Most of them would rather be free of President Snow's clutches. After two weeks of interviews and training, the tributes enter the arena. The action immediately starts. The dynamics inside the arena are just as interesting as the action. Katniss's resourcefulness buys her time. Forging alliances can be beneficial in the short term. The geography is useful for hiding and staging attacks. The head gamemaker Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) introduces obstacles for the tributes to overcome, whether it's to steer them in a certain direction or straight up attack them with animals produced by genetic engineering. Weapons and supplies are there for the taking.

Outside the arena, the political maneuvering continues. President Snow explains the purpose of the games so that Seneca does not lose sight of his job. Haymitch undergoes a small transformation as he sobers up slightly when he sees a glimmer of hope in his two mentees. Despite his disgust towards the whole ordeal, he has nevertheless learned how to navigate the Capitol and communicate with its upper class to gain sponsorship for Katniss and Peeta. I wish more time had been set aside to explain the sponsorship system. Sponsors can send food and medicine to their favorite tributes to help them win, but what do they get out of it? Though privileged elites who lack empathy for the victors' wellbeing seem to populate the city from the top down, there appears to be cracks in the system. One citizen assigned to District 12's tributes, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), possesses genuine compassion for the pair. He does his job and works within the system, but his attitude towards Katniss suggests all is not well under those shiny buildings.

The Hunger Games is a thrill to watch. The action in the arena features twists and turns as the competition gets whittled down over time. Quentin Tarantino unfairly states that Suzanne Collins ripped off Battle Royale, a book (and movie, possibly the greatest of the 21st century so far) of which she was completely unfamiliar and didn't know existed when she wrote the first installment of the series. It's an accusation you'll see online if you wander into the wrong message board. The Hunger Games is its own story with its own themes, history, motivations, values and nuances. It's skillfully told, and Gary Ross's direction draws us into the experience (the camera was never too shaky for me, unlike when I watched Cloverfield, which hurt my neck). Ross would not return to the series after this, but he laid a solid foundation for his successor to pick up where he left off.

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