The 74th Annual Hunger Games: 'May the odds be ever in your favor'

Review by Erica Miranda Diederich

On March 23, the film "The Hunger Games" opened in theaters worldwide. Based on a bestselling book series, by Suzanne Collins, "The Hunger Games" promised to be a big hit, and has certainly lived up to the expectation.

Set in a futuristic society, this science fiction film follows the story of a "world after war" that has been left split into 12 different "districts," which range in wealth and size. In order to keep society in the same standing, each year the elite hold an event called "The Hunger Games." Each district must volunteer up two of their young ones, one male and one female, to participate in the games. The only catch: Only one participant comes out alive.

The film focuses on one district in particular, the poorest district, District 12. When Primrose Everdeen is selected to participate from District 12, her older sister, Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, volunteers in her place. The male that is offered up, Peeta Mallark, played by Josh Hutcherson, travels with Katniss to participate in the 74th Annual Hunger Games where it is known that only one will come back alive.

Upon arrival it seems that District 12 is the underdog without a fighting chance. Members from the other districts are slowly proven wrong. To find out what happens, go see "The Hunger Games" playing in a theater near you.

When first going to see "The Hunger Games," I was told by my peers who had read previously the book that the film did not live up to their expectations, and that a lot of material was left out. Being a "Harry Potter" fan, I most definitely understood where they were coming from, but decided not to read the book beforehand. Having said that, I found the film to be extremely enjoyable, as I had no previous notion of something to compare it with. A wonderful balance of action and deep plot kept me both engaged and excited for the entire duration of the film.

The acting was more than decent, especially coming from such a young cast, and the storyline flowed seamlessly. You can tell however, that some of the scenes were meant to be much gorier in context, but were toned down to allow a rating of PG-13. This is where the arguments from the readers come in, but in my opinion, it was smart on the director's part to open the film up to a larger demographic in order to increase ticket sales.

If you are looking for something to do in the near future, I would suggest taking the time out of your day to go see "The Hunger Games." You will be glad you did.