The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games – In a dystopian future, the Hunger Games are played and televised every year as punishment for a war waged generations ago. 24 ‘tributes’ aged between 12 to 18 are chosen by lottery from the 12 districts and forced to fight each other to the death until there is only one left standing. When Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister is chosen, she volunteers to take her place; the first person to ever do so. As a talented archer and hunter she is the favourite to win, but there are no guarantees in the Games and she must rely on both her initiative and ability to manipulate the system if she is going to survive.

The Hunger Games (2012) – Director: Gary Ross

Rating: 12

Running Length: 142 mins

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Genre: Action, Drama

REVIEW: ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’

Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, ‘The Hunger Games’ follows the story of Katniss Everdeen as she prepares for her ordeal. Jennifer Lawrence is the tough heroine who is only interested in surviving to get home to her family instead of the fame and glory that the other participants yearn for.  The novel is classified as ‘young adult’ and is clearly targeted at an audience of between 12 and 18, much like the participants in the games themselves.

While having many similarities to the movie Battle Royale (2000) which had an ‘18’ (or equivalent) certificate in most countries, ‘The Hunger Games’ is much less gory so is more available to a wider/younger audience. Much of the film focuses on the District 12 ‘tributes’, Katniss and Peeta’s preparation for the Games. The action sequences do not start until towards the end which is a little unfortunate when the concept of the story seems to point towards a more action based movie. Having said that, when the action does kick in, the build-up does not disappoint and the excitement of Katniss’ ever decreasing chances of survival is ramped up throughout her ordeal.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The core concept of ‘The Hunger Games’ is that the government forces children to fight and die for the entertainment of television viewers. This movie has therefore not been targeted towards children. However, as it was given a 12A rating at the cinema and on certain home media, we would like to highlight the following content.

It will be of no surprise that the violence is the main aspect that we wish to draw your attention to and while none of it is overly gory, it is brutal and there are strong implications of suffering. When the ‘tributes’ first get to the battlefield, there is a free-for-all where they can pick up weapons and provisions but have to risk being killed by anyone who gets to the weapons faster than them. The dialogue has previously warned that this will be aggressive but it may not prepare the viewer for the images of children being brutally murdered. The camera cuts quickly from one death to another so does not linger on any of the suffering but this is still an intense scene that could be too distressing for children. This is probably the worst scene for the violence; however there are lots of other moments where children are attacked and killed. There is a lot of graphic hacking and slashing as well as necks being broken on-screen. There are also some deaths from animal attacks.

Before the main action begins, some video footage of previous Hunger Games is shown where someone uses a brick to kill another ‘tribute’. During the Games it is made abundantly clear that no-one is safe and that even when a character appears to be out of danger they could be plunged back into life threatening peril at any moment. The older children seek out the younger ones as easy targets and they do not hold back on the brutality of their attacks.

Bizarrely, despite the intensity of the violence, there is very little else to mention regarding questionable content. There are a few, very minor curse words. One of the characters is an alcoholic and therefore drinks, and is drunk, a lot of the time, but this doesn’t glorify alcoholism in any way as, at first at least, the characters respond to his drunkenness with barely concealed contempt. There is also very little in terms of sexual content. Two of the characters are seen to kiss passionately. They then lie next to each other, fully clothed and sleep but there are no other implications to this. In terms of moral messages, the ‘bad’ characters are seen to enjoy the carnage whereas the ‘good’ characters try to avoid it where possible. Many of the characters who live in the Capitol are portrayed as callous and decadent; glorifying the ‘tributes’ as celebrities but possessing a fickle nature that shows them as uncaring of who lives or dies.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES FOR KIDS’

‘The Hunger Games’ divided opinion when it was given a 12A certificate on release. The BBFC passed the film as a 15 for cinema release but after the removal of 7 seconds of screen time and some blood splatter, they downgraded it to a ‘12A’. However some adults may balk at the idea of this movie being available to under 12’s as there is no escaping that the central concept is state sponsored murder. Due to the brutality of the violence, we would not recommend ‘The Hunger Games’ to children under the age of 12 and would also recommend caution for older children, particularly if the child concerned is sensitive to violence and the concept of people being killed for the pleasure of others.

• Violence: 4/5 (once the Games begin, there are many brutal killings and injuries)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (while most of the deaths are not dwelt upon and few characters have much screen time, there are times when certain deaths upset some characters and this could be distressing for younger viewers)
• Fear Factor: 4/5 (the dialogue makes it clear that the majority of the ‘tributes’ are going to die. The intensity of the violence causes the viewer to be unsure of who is going to survive)
• Sexual Content: 1/5
• Bad Language: 1/5
• Dialogue: 3/5 (many references to killings, injury and death)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of teamwork, loyalty, fighting against oppression, doing what is right even if those around you do what is wrong. Also emphasises the importance of using intelligence and ingenuity to survive and knowing who to trust in a dangerous situation.

Words by Laura Record

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