"The Hunger Games" - Review part 4

We will reveal a few insider information about the film and draw a conclusion. Bye bye, “Hunger games” :-( 

Backgrounds

The trilogy has been split into two parts for the final chapter, resulting in four films instead of three. The films were shot in the U.S, on Hawaii, in France and in Germany. It was revealed that over 30 actresses auditioned for the role of Katniss Everdeen including reputable actresses like Abigail Breslin, Shailene Woodley, Chloe Moretz or Emma Watson. The role of Peeta Mellark was also highly coveted: great actors like Evan Peters or Alex Pettyfer auditioned for the part. Worldwide, the films earned more than 2.5 billion euros. After Gary Ross directed the first installment, Francis Lawrence took over directing duties from the second film onwards. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played the gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, unexpectedly died in February 2014 so that important scenes with him could not be shot anymore. The last installment of the dystopia, “Mockingjay 2”, was dedicated to him. 

All in all

The “Hunger Games” series has much to offer. Tension is skillfully created again and again. Especially in the two “Mockingjay” installments, unexpected events occur repeatedly. They managed to not give away the ending until the end. Every now and then, the characters (Woody Harrelson) and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) even make the audience laugh due to their extraordinary nature. Especially Effie doesn’t seem to live in this world nor in Panem’s, but in her very own one. Due to the love story between Katniss and Peeta, which thanks to Gale frequently turns into a love triangle, the films have many emotional moments. Furthermore, the tragic end of Prim makes some viewers shed tears. Also, Katniss’ emotional farewell to her fellow tribute Rue melts the hearts of the viewers. Thanks to Katniss’ authentic version of “The Hanging Tree”, it became a successful hit. “Royals” singer Lorde added to the film series’ musical success with her song “Yellow Flicker Beat”. The numerous war and fighting scenes promise a lot of action, not only in the Hunger Games but also in the ongoing rebellion. In addition, the films are full of great animation. First of all, they were shown in 3D from the second installment onwards, and secondly, all kinds of animation knowledge was used to make them. Especially the scene in “Catching Fire”, in which Katniss and her group encounter some mutated monkeys underlines the talent of the animation team. The Berlin underground scenes, in which important team members are killed by mutants, and the scene in which Team “451” loses fighters due to the oil wave, are also very impressive. Thus, the films guarantee action. However, what is most impressive about the series is the outstanding cast: Jennifer Lawrence won an oscar (Silver Linings) between the “Hunger Games” installments, Philip Seymour Hoffman played an authentic gamemaker, and Josh Hutcherson showed how diverse he is as Peeta Mellark. With Liam Hemsworth, they managed to cast another top actor. Julianne Moore completes the cast as the devious president Coin. 

Nevertheless, the “Hunger Games” series has also received criticism. Newcomers will definitely lack context, especially the last two installments start completely abruptly. So, thorough prior knowledge is needed to be able to follow the story. Unfortunately, the end of the “Hunger Games” series is a bit too pessimistic: There is no sign of a happy, peaceful Panem. Like the “Spiegel” aptly said, there are “just survivors, no heroes”. The epilog conveys a rather utopian image of Katniss and Peeta as a happy family, even though both of them are still clearly scarred by the past events.

But we still say: Thumbs up! Watch it! 

alugha - everyone’s language :-)