New Public Videos

Emerson Health with Christine Kieler

New Government Meetings

Will’s Watchlist: Streaming Spotlight

“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear.”

In a dystopian future, the country of Panem, which was built from the remnants of America, requires each of its 12 districts to provide two children each year for an annual tournament where the tributes fight each other to the death in order to discourage the poor districts from rebelling against the wealthy Capitol. When Katniss Everdeen becomes one of the tributes for District 12, she must learn to balance her natural skills with effective gameplay strategies so that she can have even the slightest chance of winning the game so she can return home to her family.

As the years have gone by since the release of this film and its original novel, America has only gotten closer to resembling the fascist country of Panem, making this story more relevant than ever now. The overall concept and narrative is incredible in how it exposes the horrors that those in power are willing to commit in order to remain in their high-ranking positions, and it perfectly showcases just how effective propaganda can be on a population when they’re given a tiny amount of controlled hope that redirects their attention away from organizing actual change. However, despite its powerful narrative, the technical aspects of the film can be a little rough at times, particularly with the editing and cinematography. The editing is a bit sloppy on occasion with numerous cuts that feel awkward, while the shaky cinematography is overbearing and often seems out of place. Both of these elements are still able to convey the story well enough to not hinder the narrative itself, but they also don’t do anything to enhance it either. On the other hand, the acting is generally pretty great, and Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is a major standout as she perfectly captures the wide range of emotions that Katniss feels throughout the story.

I recommend The Hunger Games to anyone interested in dystopian films that criticize fascist governments and the politics of power through the lens of regular people trying to survive in a broken world. It’s incredibly effective at highlighting contemporary political issues by extrapolating them to extreme proportions, which is especially compelling given the similar direction that America is currently heading in. With the prequel film The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping releasing in theaters in two months, now is a great time to revisit this timely story.

The Hunger Games is currently available to stream on Netflix. Click here to watch the Official Theatrical Trailer.

– Review by Will Hopper

Visit Will’s Watchlist for more movie reviews

Throwback of the Week

Brazilian Jazz Night CTR on the Common (2013)

Podcast