Many movies fill the screen with more violence than “Hunger Games.” But many movies allow us to be filled with hope as we exit the theater. “Hunger Games” left me unfilfilled, imagining how much better the story could have been.
Not that it had no value; the main characters remained untainted by cruelty, true to their ideals to the end. But I enjoy standard-format fantasy films in which the hero returns home better than in the beginning, with some form of rising above the evil that often fills much of fantasies. “Hunger Games” failed to fulfill that basic requirement, for the final victory was basically only survival.
Without giving away too much, I’ll compare the story to “The Truman Show.” But “Hunger Games” is a little more unbelievable in where cameras are hidden. The main difference is this: “The Truman Show” ends with the hero surviving and escaping a huge prison; “Hunger Games” ends with at least one hero surviving (I’ll say no more) but with all the world still imprisoned by a world-wide dictatorship. Both movies end with a world that is hardly better off than before. But Truman gained personal freedom, guaranteed for the rest of his life. Do not expect anything like that in “Hunger Games.”
Having said that, I have been informed that this is taken from the first of a series of books, and a more positive end is in store for a world oppressed by tyranny. That does give us hope.
Now to technical details.
The acting and effects were almost without blemish, notwithstanding the weird costumes. An exception was in the beginning: Hand-held camera jitters make this part of the movie difficult to watch, and it failed to make the story more realistic to me. It really was an artistic disaster with those hand-held shots: overdone and too long.
Two of the dramatic events appeared to me too much like cliches, and one of them seemed to have no logical purpose. The romantic aspects were limited and welcomed, for they were fresh, not cliches.
Be aware, especially with children and teenagers, that more than half the teenagers in this gladiator combat environment show us the worst form of violence, and these are children being killed, sometimes for apparent sport. For those who enjoy simple hero-survival, this can be a satisfying movie; just don’t expect very much.
For most adults with taste and for most children, stay away and save your time and money [re: Super-8]
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