The Hunger Games Film Review

Brief plot outline

The second film review I did was on The Hunger Games (2012). It is directed by Gary Ross and contains the genres; adventure, sci-fi, horror, romantic and action. The plot of the film is that it is set in the dystopian future in the nation of Panem that is divided between 12 districts and a capital. Each year as a reminder of the failed rebellion, two young representatives from each district are chosen to participate in a televised show known as The Hunger Games, where they will fight to the death until one remains. When 16-year old Katniss’ young sister is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her counterpart Peeta, are pitted against stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene in The Hunger Games that impressed me the most was when all the competitors are in the Cornucopia rising from the tubes into the arena for the first time. It starts just before Katniss enters the tube to be risen into the arena. Cinna is shown as the only sympathetic Capital character in the film. When the door to the tube closes the music stops when Katniss turns around showing that reality has hit her that she might be travelling to her death. It starts again when she starts rising to build the tension in the scene. A tracking shot is used to make it look like the camera is following the tube through the ground. Before the tube emerges bright lights are used to blank the image as if in a point of view shot creating temporary blindness and obscuring the scene from the audience. As the camera pans around the characters the music increases volume and quick sequences are used to show all the characters anxious faces. The background is blurry while Katniss is visible, then the background is clear followed by Katniss’ face focussing, illuminating different areas of the scene at different times to gain the audience’s attention. The Cornucopia is then seen in its entirety and the camera then zooms into the bow and arrow as Katniss’ point of view to show its significance. The technology in the control room shows the advancement the Capital has compared to the districts, and during the countdown the Capital citizens are drinking and cheering the children that are about to die. In contrast to this the districts are looking on worried and Prim and Katniss’ mum are at home watching the opening of the games. The music decreases as these scenes are shown and eventually are silent when Gale is shown in the woods alone. With every beat of the countdown a new shot is shown which speeds up in the last ten seconds. The music is loud when everyone starts and the careers start killing people off, during which the camera starts stuttering. The volume increases and the scene is fast paced when Katniss starts to run which gives the effect of danger especially with the use of quick sequences.

The second scene that impressed me was when Katniss starts hallucinating after being stung by the Tracker Jackers. It starts when Katniss falls from the tree after being stung by the Tracker Jackers and the camera is used in point of view shots. It tracks the trees before she starts to run, banging into trees along the way. There is an over the shoulder shot of the body lying on the ground which is followed by the camera stuttering three times along with the music stagnating. There is a close-up of Katniss, then point of view, then close-up again with the background blurred and moving in distance. The camera then pans her head and stutters showing Katniss’ lack of control over her vision. Point of view shot follows from her feet to the body, back to Katniss’ concentrated face and then pans to the hand of the body with the bow as a point of view shot. It is blurry as the camera moves to the face of the body which is unfocused to begin with then focuses to show the horror. This is followed by Katniss’ shocked expression which then looks at her hand again and then pans down Katniss to the hand as she grabs and removes the bow, shown by two different angles. The camera then pans to her face again as she admires the bow, followed by a close-up of the arrows and then a close-up of her open mouth to her hand on the arrows again. The scene then stutters to prevent movement within it when shouting is faintly heard. Katniss looks up which is when the image stutters again showing time passing, then in a point of view shot Peeta is shown as three versions of himself running towards her which when close merges into one showing again the powerfulness of the hallucination. The use of the different camera angles and the stuttering image is what impresses me the most about this scene.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of film making?

Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

The Hunger Games follows the conventional features that make horror films good. Although this film might not be regarded as a horror film, under close analysis there are defiantly horror aspects to it. To start with there as psycho killers/serial killers which are District 1 and 2’s representatives who are the Careers in the game, Cato, Clove, Glimmer and Marvel. These four have been trained from birth to kill people and the winner is frequently one of them. The male hero is arguably Peeta as he directs the Careers away from Katniss, as shown more clearly in the book, and it is his idea for Katniss to shoot Cato’s hand so that he could kill him. Thresh is also a hero as he kills Clove to save Katniss in memory of Rue but eventually dies near the end. There are fast moving monsters used within this film. The Capital made dogs kill Thresh and devour Cato and the Tracker Jackers, which are also Capital made kill Glimmer. Katniss is the final girl as she saves Peeta by being rebellious by threatening to eat the poisonous berries so that no one wins. She is a stereotypical survivor as she has brown hair and knows how to fight and survive in the wildness. There are 10 victims in this film but the main female victim is Rue who was the youngest which makes her death even more upsetting. Katniss cares for her and Rue also saves Katniss’ life by telling her to saw down the Tracker Jackers nest to escape the Careers.

Body horror is used throughout but the main bloodshed was in the Cornucopia at the start of the games when the first victims were killed. When Rue, Glimmer and Marvel die there is also the use of body horror to shock the audience in the realisation of how brutally they died. Katniss’ leg when she gets burned, and Peeta’s leg when he gets cut by a sword, are the most realistic wounds that are shown close-up. Restricted narration is used when Clove gets her back broken as the audience just hears a crack and her falling to the ground in front of the camera, followed by a canon announcing her death. Cato surrounded by the dogs when he is being devoured is also restricted as that would have shown too much body horror for the certificate of the film. The arena is an enclosed location in the film as the children are trapped and only one can survive. Low key lighting is used when it is night and at the end it shows that the lights are being controlled when they are dimed so that the dogs would be concealed from view. To build tension parallel music is used which is seen in the Cornucopia scene as the music increases and decreases and then increases as the scene draws to an end.

Quick sequences are seen in the Cornucopia as people are attacked and in the aftermath when all the dead children are seen in close-ups. These are also used to portray Glimmer’s death. Montage-slow editing is used to show Katniss after she escapes the Cornucopia as she runs into Fox Face and also when she is counting the canons. This is also seen when the Careers spot Katniss in the water after the fire scene. Montage-collision cutting is used to sequence the decrease in sound throughout certain scenes such as it starting with the countdown, moving to the noisy Capital, quieter in the districts and then finally to Gale alone in the woods where it is silent. Lots of close-ups show the emotion in people’s faces, the conversations focussing on the people’s faces that are talking such as Rue and Katniss, the deaths are shown close-up, and finally the flowers around Rue are shown to create emotion and sympathy in the audience. Expressionist angles are used in a canted angle when Katniss is hallucinating to create a distorted effect. The handheld camera technique is used throughout when the fast paced action happens which is especially shown in the Cornucopia scene. It is also mixed with point of view shots as the camera moves frantically when people are looking around or running. This is also seen when Rue dies and she is looking into the trees which eventually fade as she dies.

The theme threat to yourself/family is shown as the representatives have to kill people to survive and Katniss volunteers to save Prim’s life out of love. Loneliness is shown as the children in the arena will die alone without their family. Isolation and being trapped are seen in the arena being a prison and how the districts are controlled by the Capital. The film ends with an open ending as President Snow realises that Katniss may like Gale instead of being devoted to Peeta and that she is also a threat to him and must be destroyed. The feeling outside the Cultural Dominant Ideology is that children are getting killed for entertainment. Sadism is shown as the Capital controls the games and the Careers learn their whole lives how to kill people which they find entertainment in doing.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?

The aspects of the film that I would like to include are the point of view shots as they are jumpy which makes it look realistic. They also show the emotion of the victim and their mental state which allows the audience to engage with the victim, to feel sympathy before they die, or survive if the final girl such as Katniss. I also like the handheld camera effect when running in point of view shot as it looks realistic. Another aspect that was important was the fact that the male hero dies but a less so male hero survives. This shows the ultimate sacrifice of men for women which contradicts the audiences’ expectance of one to die and the other to survive by switching the most likely to die as the one to survive and vice-versa.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?

I would avoid young children dying as it is more realistic to use adults or at least older children so it’s not so tragic. I would also not have the whole trailer based in the woods as being set in a house instead would create an eerie atmosphere, focussing on claustrophobia with the feeling of being trapped. Maybe a little bit of the trailer would be based in the woods. The trailer would also be based in present time not in a dystopian future as horror should appeal more if it is set now or in the past for the audience as it is spooky, unknowing and realistic. It allows the film to focus on heightening the audiences’ real scares which makes the film scarier than it is trying to be.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why?

Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The most enjoyable moment in the film was when Katniss is cutting the Tracker Jacker nest and letting herself get stung which could have killed her. She is using nature to help her survive. It starts with a close-up of Katniss’ face while watching the wasps carefully before cutting, then the camera pans up to her hand with the knife. This is followed by a low angle with the wasps in front showing that nature is more powerful and destructive than humans. There is a high angle on the sleeping Careers showing them as the weaker victims. The music is quiet when she is sawing allowing the wasps to be heard getting louder just before stinging, followed by a gasp of pain. A close-up of sleeping Cato and Glimmer is shown which can be argued as a horror convention as they have grown closer as if in a relationship, meaning that although Glimmer is supposed to be on the lookout she would rather stay in his arms, which is what leads to her downfall. She is also blonde which fits the convention. There is a high angle again when the wasps are swarming and the music starts to build. Another loud sting is heard but Katniss powers on. The camera refers back to those sleeping, then another sting, it is shown in quick sequences from Katniss in pain to those sleeping and back again. A low angle is used when the branch falls which shows that Katniss is triumphant.

How does the film reflect its institutional or historical context?

Analyse two scenes/ events that reflect the time which the film was made.

The Hunger Games reflects its historical context in the fact that it is talking about the future of technology and humanity with the advancement of technology now controlling the way people live. The Hunger Games illustrate that the Capital use their technology to control the districts and make the games themselves to kill children. It shows the future of consumerism and how wealth and appearance is more important to the Capital than human life. That watching children fight to the death as entertainment is all they know and enjoy. Children are influenced in this way from a young age as that is all they know. Ecology is evident in this film as Katniss has gone back to her roots as she hunts for food in the wildness. The Capital however takes everything from the people in the Districts to satisfy themselves and the game makers are greedy capitalists who don’t care about the human life lost in the games, they are just interested in bettering their reputation

The first scene that reflects the time the film is set in shows the chariot ride of Katniss and Peeta. It starts with a close-up of Katniss’ face and then zooms out to her and Peeta on ‘fire’ which is meant to maximise our emotional attachment to Katniss. Those two in black contrasts with the colourful outfits of the Capital people who are applauding them. It focuses on the audience cheering them on with close-ups of their faces with eccentric looks compared to Katniss’ puzzled look. When Peeta holds onto Katniss’ hand and says “come on they’ll love it” it emphasises that the Capital enjoy the fact that only one of the twelve children will survive and that this is just a game to them. When this happens there is cheering from the audience and they throw things into the road celebrating their probable death. Close-ups again show thousands of people who are dressed oddly showing that appearance and the latest fashion style means everything to these people.

The second scene shows a Capital boy pretending to kill his sister. It starts with a close-up of Rue’s chances of surviving which allows the audience of the film to feel sympathy for her which makes this scene even more horrendous in their eyes. A wider view shows districts 1 and 2’s high chances of winning which creates less sympathy for them. Wide shot shows the Capital’s fashion and the crowd celebrating. A two thirds/over the shoulder shot of children and family shows the boy unwrapping the sword with Haymitch in the left hand corner watching them. Haymitch shows an expression of hatred as he lived through the games so knows the torture of it which is shown earlier when he says “no one wins the Hunger Games, there are survivors but not winners”. The boy uncaps the sword and chases his sister with it. While the mother looks shocked the father is happy he’s doing it. A close-up of Haymitch shows him even more distressed by what’s happening. The dad urges him on while the boy pretends to stab his sister but gets the mother instead. Haymitch is shown puffing out his cheeks in frustration as he knows the psychological horror of fighting for your life and killing people for real. The Capital thinks it’s funny and the children are taught that it’s nothing serious which represents consumerism in its biggest form.