31 August 2012

The Hunger Games

THE FIRST FILM IN THE HUNGER GAMES FRANCHISE. Based on the best-selling book, 16-year-old Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games.



After reading the reviews on the "New York Times", "Le Monde" and "Msn.com" (to quote only a few) I was surprised that they missed the most important things in this movie. With a sort of amused superiority, which the people of the Capitol in the film will immediately recognize, "professional" reviewers pointed to clear allusion to the gladiator fights, the reality show, the importance of entertainment rubbish on TV these days, the search for the new were able to replace "Twilight" , etc, etc franchise

But they almost all have failed to see that this film is first and above all these things are far more important: how to maintain hope, do not lose courage and preserve humanity and dignity under an oppressive totalitarian regime.

This annual punishment and humiliation lasted until Theseus, prince of Athens, volunteered to be one of the tributes and once locked in the Labyrinth he defeated and killed the Minotaur.

In "The Hunger Games" that was once the United States (and I think also Canada) is now called Panem. It is a country divided into twelve districts remaining under the control of the central metropolis Capitol. There was once a district thirteen, but when they rebelled against the central power, Capitol District 13 completely destroyed the entire population and then beaten and left again twelve others. In order to remind the subject of how absolute power, claiming Capitol annual awards - one girl and one boy ages 12 to 18 from each district. This annual event called the Hunger Games, and shown live on TV for all residents Panem. Bottom line, this movie is the first and before all the stories about how even people who did not seem to hurt horribly helpless tyrannic regime with a magic potion made from a lot of courage, determination of ice-cold, great personal dignity, a little affection, a handful of flowers, some tears and a challenging and powerful movement ...

A strong message and a very good scenario is not the only reason why I consider the "Hunger Games" as a masterpiece. Actors are selected very carefully and they are doing well. Josh Hutcherson could very easily fall into one of the many traps built into Peeta's character. By overreacting or underacting he could make him a coward or a passive follower or minors, but he avoided the snare them with his grace and Peeta out of the film is as surprising complexe and also a very nice character. He's certainly not a hero and warrior like Katniss - but until the end he maintained his honor, in a deadly where it should never have been sent ...

Special mention goes to the small Amandla Stenberg, who plays Rue 12-year-old, the youngest of all the tributes. Others, actor better known to contribute to the success of this film. Woody Harrelson is excellent as Haymitch, the only person from District 12 who have won at Hunger Games and now an adviser to Katniss and Peeta. Lenny Kravitz Cinna depicted perfectly, the person responsible for the image of the tributes from District 12 in the public appearance before the game starts. And finally there is the giant figure of Donald Sutherland, who plays the supreme ruler of Panem, President Coriolanus Snow. In a few moments we had the impression the film occurs after the character with the camera, such as a war correspondent after fighters (the style is also very skillfully used in "The Shield" series). The game itself is very skillfully described and is a very dramatic story, full of surprises and twists. I find them much better than "Battle Royale", the book and the movie is often compared. Deadly and brutal game, but there are only a limited gore - I think the film is suitable for young teens, though not for children younger than 12. One thing however about the book - of course, possible to see and really enjoy this film without reading the book, but I believe that reading the first novel is a good idea. If you read the whole book is out of the question, I would suggest to read at least the first hundred pages. It will not reveal much about the game itself, but it will allow for a better understanding of several key elements: the strength of the bond between Katniss and her sister, Katniss history shares with her hunting partner Gale, the complicated relationship between Katniss and her mother, and last but not least, there is a mysterious bond between Katniss and Peeta Mellark.




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