Hunger Games Movie
It’s not all that uncommon when you go to see the film version of a favorite book to come away disappointed. Sometimes it’s your fault, going in with ridiculously high expectations, perhaps. And sometimes that’s the movie’s fault, tampering with the story or over-doing the special effects. In the case of the The Hunger Games, however, neither of those was the case. I took my kids to see it on opening day, yesterday, and we all not only thoroughly enjoyed it but thought it absolutely delivered on the promise of the book.
The film stays close to the novel by Suzanne Collins (who co-authored the script) without making that seem a wooden or slavish effort. Moreover, it’s quite creative about using existing characters and situations to explain some details that might elude someone who hasn’t read the book. The actors were well cast – even if Woody Harrelson is a bit of a stretch as Haymitch – and all turned in very strong performances across the board. The sets are lush and suggestive. The contrast, for instance, between the Depression-era Appalachia-feel of Katniss’ District 12 and the over-the-top gaudy and colorful Capitol instantly captures the justice and class-tension elements of the novel, and the filming and sound are excellent. The high drama of the arena propels the film forward but wouldn’t have been able to carry the story if those those scenes had not been not matched by the evocative political undertones and great character development throughout.
While New York Times critic Manohla Dargis felt that director Gary Ross softened the edges of the nervy drama too much, I thought it was well-suited to the audience Suzanne Collins originally wrote it for, young adults. My daughter, just shy of twelve years old and not a fan of action films, was a little apprehensive going in but enjoyed the books so much she couldn’t resist. While there were a few moments where my hand was squeezed pretty tightly, there were no eyes-closed scenes and she was very glad she went. The brutal nature of the combat arena was captured, as it had to be, but not exploited, and the poignancy of several scenes – especially with Katniss’ sister Prim and Prim’s arena-counterpart Rue – were particularly moving.
All in all, it’s everything you could want – strong characters (including a particularly sympathetic and strong young heroine rendered exceptionally well by Jennifer Lawrence), great script, well-paced and beautifully shot. No, this was one film version of a favorite book that did not disappoint.
An Additional Resource
A couple of weeks ago I offered a brief introduction to the book with some suggestions for discussion with your children or youth group. Since then, I’ve come across Julie Clawson’s The Hunger Games and the Gospel: Bread, Circuses, and the Kingdom of God, an ebook that explores all three Hunger Games books (Catching Fire is #2 and Mockingjay the finale) in light of the Beatitudes. Or, truth be told, she offers a compelling investigation of the Beatitudes by using The Hunger Games – and a number of other contemporary sources and current events – to illustrate some of the qualities and commitments of Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God. It’s a solid, engaging, and at time provocative reading of Jesus’ most famous sermon that invites readers to explore not just The Hunger Games but their own faith lives. It will open up both the book series and the Beatitudes, and is well worth it’s own careful read and study. Refreshingly, Clawson refuses either to “make” The Hunger Games a Christian book or to critique it because it is not, but instead to allow this “secular parable” to invite Christians more deeply into their own story. She is an excellent theologian and fine writer and, at just $4.99, her ebook is a steal.
Recent Comments