Having not read "The Hunger Games" I would have approached the film with an open mind-if it had not unfortunately been dubbed in the media as the replacement for Twilight fanatics or "Twi-hards." Naturally I expected a gooey teenage romance, a stereotypical break up and reunion, and a shallow female character with boyfriend-orientated values.
However it soon became apparent that the female protagonist Katniss was a more interesting character (played by a more varied actress) than that of the weak and subordinate Bella Swan. Admittedly she was a similar "closed book" of a character, but emotion and turmoil was evident (hint hint Kristen) and was communicated so realistically. Alongside some brilliant acting, themes of dystopia would have had Karl Marx spinning in his grave. The lack of respect for human life insinuated that rather than progressing in terms of equality and justice, humanity is instead going backwards as a result of materialism and money. The cool colour palette of District 12 (Katniss' depraved home where people starve on a daily basis) for example resembled the haunting image of a concentration camp. Money has truly taken over in this plot. The nauseous and dramatic use of colour in the affluent clothing further emphasised the corrupted wealthy who lack morals and ethical reasoning.
I was also impressed by the soundtrack and variation in camera shots. I felt genuinely tense when the characters went through the "reaping" (the volunteering/selection of tributes into the deadly Hunger Games), through the use of frantic camera movements alongside very deep but quiet music. The treatment of the poor echoed Marx's comments of the majority "lower" classes as ignorant to their power as a collective and thus their strength in overthrowing those in power. Grey overtones over images of animal bones, rotten wood and elderly characters highlighted this weakness. This overthrow of capitalism, in effect, can be expected in the second and third installments to the story, where the imagery in this way is unlikely to disappoint.
