Things I Liked and Didn’t Liked about The Hunger Games : A Movie Review

Last Sunday after touring the UP Diliman premises I had the chance to see The Hunger Games on the big screen of Trinoma Cinema. Seeing the trailer and comments from people on the web, I made it a point not to miss this one. And indeed I was not misled, it was a great movie worthy to be watched.

A screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ book with the same title, it tells the story of the TRIBUTES, a boy and a girl drawn via a lottery from the 12 districts of Panem and are slated to compete which each other till death in the annual Hunger Games. Directed by Gary Ross and written also by Gary Ross with Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, it starred Jeniffer Lawrence as the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Katniss’ boyfriend Gale Hawthorn, and Josh Hutcherson as the tribute boy from district 12 Peeta Mellark. With the special participation of Donald Sutherland as President Snow of Panema country.

The movie was great but I just felt hungry for more fight scenes. Basing on the trailer, promos and it’s title, I was in assumption that it will be an action packed movie, but it didn’t cater much on action scenes instead focused on the main characters. How I wish they’ve inserted more action scenes about the Hunger Games itself and their fighting for survival. I just felt it lacked a little bit more action considering the plot of the movie.

But I am very happy with their musical scoring and sound engineering. The movie was able to use great musical scores and sound effects. I love how they effectively incorporated the sounds and music in every scenes of the movie. Superb sound engineers and musical scorers. Cinematography was also great with those shots in the forest and the view of the metropolis as well as visual effects with those holographic thing used. Acting wise, Jeniffer Lawrence was very effective as Katniss Everdeen. She also did good with the action scenes and with that I can compare her to Jeniffer Garner. Also commendable were the acting jobs of Donald Sutherland as President Snow and Wes Bentley as the Head Game Maker Seneca Crane.

All in all it was indeed a film worthy of the price you’ll pay. The story is well written which depicts how the poor is being manipulated by the rich and being forced to be feed in killing each other for their entertainment. It also offered an inspiration of hope that little as you may if you have courage and overflowing hope you can overcome everything. I liked the scene when Katniss paid the last respect to the dead body of Rue and then raised her 3 fingers, which led to some sort of rebellion from the people. As what President Snow said, “Hope is the only thing more powerful than fear. Of little hope is effective, of lot of hope is dangerous.”

It can also be viewed as an upfront to producers of reality shows who are manipulating the games based on what is popular and appealing to the sponsors. It showed that rules of the game can be easily changed based on  popular demands, but in the end they are caught by their own rule when Katniss and Peeta planned to commit suicide by eating the poisonous berry so that no one will win the game.

A story of  hope, of bravery and of love and sacrifice, The Hunger Games is truly a recommended film to watch. Happy Hunger Games, May the odds be ever in your favor.

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“I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don’t own me. If I’m gonna die, I wanna still be me” – Peeta Mellark

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• Happy hunger games! (rddekker.wordpress.com)
• Review: The Hunger Games, 2012, dir. Gary Ross (agcrump.wordpress.com)
• The Hunger Games: Pleasantly surprised (cognitivelybiased.com)