“May the odds be ever in your favor,” has become the most
known phrase worldwide over a two week time span—yes, I’m referring to Suzanne
Collin’s “The Hunger Games” which hit theaters officially at midnight on March
22, 2012. Since then, the movie has eased its way into the top grossing movies
on opening weekend with $150 million, earning the third top movie in opening
weekend history next to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two and The
Dark Knight.
The Hunger Games describes a post apologlyptic world where
once the 12 separate districts of Panem attempted to overthrow the government
in war and lost. In punishment, the Government has forced the 12 districts to
provide one man and one woman between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the
death in order to bring their districts honor and wealth to their families who
would starve on their own. The movie follows young Katniss Everdeen, who at 16
years old, volunteered as tribute in her younger sister’s stead and recreates
the emotional turmoil of having to comprehend the fact that she may die simply
for the governments pleasure in the arena.
Despite the expectations and fears that fans had regarding
turning a 350 page book into a two and a half hour film, director Gary Ross,
did an excellent job. Sure, the film had a minor number of missing details,
five in the least, but critics are praising “The Hunger Games” as one of the
most sensational films to hit the theaters this year.
Personally, as a fan of the book series, I found that the
film adaptation to be both riveting and emotionally gripping. Having seen the
film twice now, I found that Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing Katniss
Everdeen, pulled her youth in to making a strong rebel of a teenage solider.
Josh Hutcherson, the lead actor playing Peeta Mellark, also moved into playing
his emotionally conflicted role.
Although the film is depicted to be a “simple adaptation”
towards a novel filled with violence and heart ache, “The Hunger Games” is a
movie that takes a toll on its viewers and has them thinking about it far after
the movie has stopped screening.
One major setback though has caused major disturbance
amongst movie critics across the nation—the film is receiving huge
discriminatory comments towards three of its central characters. To anyone who
has a twitter account, I’m sure you’ve seen what I’m talking about. Far too
many posts have been reoccurring since the film’s premiere about how three
African American characters: Rue, Thresh, and Cinna ruined the film because of
their skin color—critics are extremely disappointed in this outcome.
