Millions of “The Hunger Games” trilogy fans have combed through every page, drank in every word, and dreamt of the day when “The Hunger Games” would become a movie. On March 23, “The Hunger Games” fans got exactly what they wanted.
Here’s how it goes: twelve Districts and two tributes from each district ranging from 12-18 (one boy and one girl). Tributes fight each other in a “game”. Last one of the 24 alive, wins.
For Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), and almost everyone else in District 12, life is very hard. Food is scarce as are jobs. And the day of the Reapings has come, a day that every child and parent dreads. It’s the day where boys and girls are brought together to see whose name will be chosen to play in the 74th Hunger Games. Before the reaping, Katniss gives her 12-year-old sister, Primrose (Willow Shield), a mockingjay pin (a symbol of rebellion to the Capitol) and tells her that if she wears it, nothing bad can happen to her. But on the day of the reapings, Prim’s very first reaping, she had no such luck.
Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) represents the Capitol and comes to District 12 for the reaping. She pulls out the names of the next tributes for the games. Boys and girls separate into their different age groups and wait to be called. Girls go first and Effie pulls out Prim’s slip of paper. Disturbed, angered and worried for her sister, Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place. After this, Effie draws a boy’s name, Peeta Mullark, a baker’s son.
After Katniss and Peeta say their quick goodbyes to their families, they head on a train to the Capitol where they pass 11 other districts. At the Capitol they get cleaned, groomed and are shown off to everyone in the Capitol and every district by being broadcasted on national television. While at the Capitol, all 24 tributes train together, individually and with their mentor’s.
A mentor is someone from their own District who has survived one of the Games and helps train the new contestants. Luckily for Katniss and Peeta, they get the drunkard Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson). Haymitch encourages Katniss and Peeta to not show their best talents off when all of the tributes train together but to save it for when they go in for a scoring with the gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) and Capitol members.
After everyone has shown their talents, the officals give them a score of one through twelve. Peeta receives a seven and Katniss receives an eleven, which is a remarkable and rare score. When the scoring is over the tribures get ready to go into the arena for the games. Before entering the tubes that take the tributes into the arena, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) Katniss’ personal stylist, gives Katniss a custom made jacket. The jacket has the mockingjay pin she first gave to Prim for protection who gave it back to Katniss when she took Prim’s place in the games.
Each contestant is lowered into the arena, all standing on circular platforms, surrounding food, weapons, and other survival gear. Before Katniss went into the game, Haymitch told her to first find water, do not go to the supplies because it will be a bloodbath. And Haymitch was right.
However, Katniss, after seeing a way, runs after a bag and escapes, but barely, and searches for water.
“The Hunger Games” is riveting and keeps everyone on the edge of their seats (even if you’ve read it). From the drawing of the names, the final countdown before the games begin, the canon blast that sounds when someone has died, to the very last twist and turn in the arena, this movie is worth seeing.