As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!
×
Did you know that Blu-ray.com also is available for United Kingdom? Simply select the
flag icon to the right of the quick search at the top-middle.
[hide this message]
The Hunger Games Blu-ray delivers stunning video and reference-quality audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.
For more about The Hunger Games and the The Hunger Games Blu-ray release, see the The Hunger Games Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on August 9, 2012 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
My wife is a saint, and I'm not just saying that because she typically checks in on my reviews and will be seeing this.
She has been a faithful reader
to both of our boys throughout their childhood into their adolescence and even occasionally (when they'll permit it,
anyway) their teen years. She dutifully read every last page of all the Harry Potter books to our sons as
they were growing up, and as anyone who has ever made it through even one of J.K. Rowling's vast opuses will
understand, that was no
easy task. I first became aware of The Hunger Games when my wife and one of my boys shouted out during a
Modern Family episode (one of the very few "appointment television" outings we share as a family), "Look!
Alex is reading The Hunger Games!". Typically clueless father that I am, I had been unaware that my younger
son had been reading The Hunger Games for some time and my wife had occasionally been "helping him out" by
reading out loud to him at bedtime, and had in fact become so enamored of the story that she began reading the series
herself in her spare time (spare time being a decidedly relative term in our household). And so excitement was palpable
when the film version of The Hunger Games was announced, and became almost unbearable when my son
found out his school was actually going to sponsor a midnight field trip to the premiere for kids interested in going,
despite it taking place on a school night. (Midnight premieres have of course undergone a shocking reevaluation what
with the recent tragic events in Aurora, Colorado, but about the only concern expressed at the time of The Hunger
Games' premiere was how the kids were going to be able to haul themselves to school the next day after having
sat in a movie theater until 3 o'clock that morning.) Rather interestingly, the critical assessment the next morning from
my wife and son was rather disparate. My wife thought the film was generally successful (with a few reservations),
while my son more or less hated it.
Not having read the Suzanne Collins trilogy, I came to The Hunger Games with probably completely different
expectations than either my wife or my son, and my opinion probably falls somewhere in between their extremes, with
perhaps a slight tilt toward my wife's assessment. Not knowing about which if any parts of the book had been excised
probably helped, as I wasn't "missing" anything since I didn't know it was indeed missing, but on the other hand there
were numerous times where I wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on or what was being referred to, and only my
wife's quick tutoring about The Hunger Games' labyrinthine world brought me up to speed.
For those who, like I was, are not familiar with The Hunger Games' set up, we find ourselves in a dystopian
future remnant of the United States, now a totalitarian regime run by the despotic President Snow (Donald Sutherland),
who keeps the citizenry under the thumb of an oppressive government that wants to terrorize and control its citizens.
The country, now known
as Panem, has been split into twelve districts, with the lower numbers closer to the capital and enjoying greater wealth
and privilege, and the outlying, higher numbered, districts wallowing in abject poverty and misery. In fact the early
scenes of heroine Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), a resident of District 12, the lowliest of all the districts, could have been
ported over from a slightly futuristic version of Lawrence's breakthrough role in Winter's Bone.
Around three quarters of a century earlier, the country had been wracked by revolution, and though a certain peace
ultimately prevailed, the ruling elite decided to exact a perennial revenge on the rebels by instituting The Hunger
Games, an annual event where two youngsters from each district are thrust together in a fight to the finish, with only
one victor remaining. The Games are broadcast on television, kind of like a real life Survivor, hosted by a
smarmy emcee (Stanley Tucci) who delights in interviewing the soon-to-be victims and then waxing eloquent as they all
meet their fate in the so-called Arena, a vast expanse of territory that a control center can inject various elements like
weather, forest fires or the occasional mutated beast into on a whim.
Katniss' partner from District 12 is a young man named Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who has harbored not very secret
romantic feelings for Katniss for some time. The one previous winner of the Games from District 12, Haymitch Abernathy
(Woody Harrelson), who acts as the kids' mentor in their brief training regimen, decides he can exploit a "star-crossed
lovers" angle to win the pair valued "sponsors", people that pony up dough to provide them with needed items during
their travails, items that could in fact end up saving their lives.
So, those of you who are just finding out about the nuts and bolts of The Hunger Games from the above
paragraphs
may well be asking, "So, what's the problem? Sounds like an exciting premise," and indeed it is, only here's the rub:
very little of what I've just described is actually imparted to the audience in a straightforward narrative manner. Things
are kind of gotten to discursively a lot of the time, with glancing statements or frankly just implications that leave the
audience to surmise what's going on. The film was adapted from a lengthy novel written in the first person, and
obviously things had to be streamlined and even jettisoned, but there's a sometimes shocking lack of precision in
getting the audience needed information along the way. Contrast this with the admittedly longer Harry Potter
series, where so many little jots and tittles of J.K. Rowling's world were lovingly explained, usually in a fairly entertaining
if admittedly expository manner.
The other niggling qualm that some audience members, probably those skewing to a somewhat older demographic,
may complain about is the relentless "shaky cam" that director Gary Ross employs throughout large swaths of the film.
Some of this may have been due to the wishes to keep this a PG-13 rated film, so that the inescapable violence at the
core of the story isn't dwelled upon, with the camera zooming here and there with nary a pause in between. But that
doesn't really explain the opening 45 minutes or so of the film, before any overt violence even begins, when Ross'
camera seems to be suffering from ADHD. (My son actually quipped that it was great that they had hired a handicapped
cameraman for the film. When I asked him what he was talking about, he answered, "It's obvious the guy didn't have
arms, Dad." From the mouths of relative babes, as they say.)
Putting these two issues aside, the film does have a remarkable narrative flow, even if there are times where
newcomers aren't going to know exactly what's going on. Lawrence, who (if I may be permitted to gloat) I identified
some time ago as a breakout star and virtual lock on an Academy Award nomination for Winter's Bone , which
she
did in fact receive, manages to invest Katniss with both spirit and vulnerability. Hutcherson is a bit less effective as
Peeta, and some Twilight fans may in fact be rooting for Katniss to end up with a more sullen, darker haired
character named Gale (Liam Hemsworth) who is evidently pining for Katniss from afar. Harrelson is quite good as the
initially drunken
Haymitch, and a vastly underutilized Lenny Kravitz is great as Cinna, Katniss' "stylist" for the Games.
If I had actually read The Hunger Games, I'd probably be utilizing that oft-used adage, "The book is better." But
even without having read the book, I can't help but think that at least a few elements could have been better explained
to those not already ensconced in Collins' complex world. On the other hand, my wife, who has not only read but
absolutely loved the trilogy, actually found the film more fulfilling this second time through. One way or the other,
there's a lot to like in The Hunger Games, but
many are probably going to be hungering for the actual books after having watched the film, wondering exactly what it
is they may have missed.
Note: Whoever planned and/or authored this set of discs obviously had a sense of humor. When the disc with
the main feature boots, we're treated to a huge fanfare with flags passing by offering images of the various
contestants. Then we get a big piece of text stating: Previews for Your Mandatory Viewing. There's a lot of
other, smaller text scrolling beneath the main message, things warning about not being in compliance and the like.
(Just to reassure anyone worrying about this, the previews can indeed be skipped by pressing the Next Chapter button
on your remote several times). On the second disc which has the bulk of the special features, that typical warning
assuring us that the views expressed in any featurettes or commentaries don't necessarily reflect the opinions of
anyone anywhere is posted on a battered old metal sign hanging on a barbed wire fence, just like the one that warns
Katniss not to veer outside of District 12 early in the film.
The Hunger Games is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in
2.40:1. Perhaps because the sound design is so spectacular (see below) and the relentless "shaky cam" makes the
image seem blurry to begin with, the film's overall visual look may not pop quite to the degree some would expect—
but fear not, this is for the most part a flawless high definition presentation. As is so frequently the case in the
contemporary film world, the digital intermediate has been significantly color graded and filtered, with many of the forested
Arena sequences cast in pale green or cool blue hues. This can potentially rob the image of at least some fine object detail,
but the results here are generally quite exemplary, especially in close-ups. Despite the artificial filtering, colors are nicely
saturated and if not exactly "accurate" looking (an increasingly irrelevant term in today's color-shifted film world), very
robust. The image is crisp and clear and for the most part very precise. The only two concerns that may present any
problems are some extremely minor stability issues and some variable contrast. The stability issues are really much
less than one might expect, given that so much of the film takes place in heavy foliage, which for some reason wreaks
havoc with high definition presentations a lot of the time. The contrast issues are a bit more of a head scratcher, as so
much of the film looks good and one would assume that with a DI this would be a replica of the theatrical exhibition. But
notice how hard it is to read the second note from Haymitch that Katniss receives after
Peeta has been injured. These are very minor qualms however in an overall great looking transfer.
Before we address The Hunger Games' stupendously exciting lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio mix, mention
must be made of something I at least have never seen before on a Blu-ray release: a Dolby Digital 2.0 track that has been
(in the words right there on the audio menu screen) "optimized for late night listening". I don't know why that struck me as
inherently funny, but there you have it—for you people staying up way past your bedtime, there's a wonderful Dolby Digital
2.0 track on this disc expressly set up for your listening needs. Now on to the track that most high definition aficionados
are going to be listening to, no matter what the time of day (or night). This DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 is simply a huge,
unadulterated "wow" from start to finish. Impeccably immersive and full of some of the coolest surround effects I've heard
in some time, this track regularly assaults the senses with all manner of discrete channelization and bombastic LFE. I defy
most listeners not to startle when they first hear the cannon which announces the deaths of various participants (and listen
to how carefully it's placed in the sound field with differing amplitude along the way). One of the coolest effects comes a
couple of times in the film when a huge spaceship hovers over head. The LFE here is absolutely astounding and one of the
most notable things about it is how it vibrates and pulses over the listener—this is an LFE "wave" of sound. There are too
many wonderful moments, both large and small, to really list in any detail, but the track sports absolutely reference quality
fidelity, with huge variances in dynamic range and a totally visceral sense of "being there".
The BD containing the main feature also has three supposed bonuses, two of which at least are fairly useless
"supplements", at least when measured as having any intrinsic content themselves:
Metabeam Smart Remote (HD; 00:31) is a little promo urging you to download this app to your smartphone
for such awesome capabilities as "Fannotating Commentaries".
BD Touch is text based explanation of this second screen technology which works in conjunction with BD
Live and Metabeam.
DTS-HD Master Audio Sound Check is actually a useful tool to help you calibrate your home theater system.
A second BD contians nothing but Special Features:
The World is Watching: Making The Hunger Games (HD; 2:02:00) is a feature length, eight part
documentary that covers everything from pre-production to adapting the source novel to casting to shooting to post and
marketing. This is an amazing in-depth piece and it's notable how many women were involved int his production, from
several Lionsgate executive to novelist Suzanne Collins herself. Jennifer Lawrence talks about her "hypocrisy" in not
wanting to do a big budget blockbuster after having devoted herself to indies (despite X-Men, which she seems
to discount somewhat). There's also a nice sequence on the strength and weight training the actors went through and
the stunts that are so notable in the film, as well as having to dance around the violence implicit in the story due to the
planned PG-13 rating the filmmakers were aiming for.
There is a sub-menu for Featurettes, which includes the following material:
Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon (HD; 14:05) features Scholastic
Books' David Levithan, who talks about the firm's history with Collins. There are some really bad stability issues
in this featurette when the camera pans across various printed pages.
Letters from the Rose Garden (HD; 9:08). Donald Sutherland talks about how moved he was by the script,
which (believe it or not) reminded him of Kubrick's Paths of Glory. Sutherland talks about his role as a repressive
leader, and he reads from a letter he sent to director Gary Ross about the role. Sutherland doesn't pull many punches in
his comments and his writing, so those right of center should be forewarned.
Controlling the Games (HD; 5:50) focuses on the film's Games Center, the high tech control room that writer-
director Ross introduced to break up the "first person" narrative of the book.
A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell (HD; 14:31) is an okay interview with Mitchell questioning
Ross about the adaptation and shooting of the film.
Preparing for the Games: A Director's Process (HD; 3:00) has Ross discussing how he moved from writing
The Hunger Games to actually shooting it.
Propaganda Film (HD; 1:34) is the sort of PSA narrated by Sutherland that explains the genesis of the
games which plays in an edited form in the background during the "Reaping" sequence in the film.
The film world has been jonesin' for a new franchise ever since Harry Potter put down that bizarrely faced dude with the
name no one ever wanted to say. Is The Hunger Games that franchise? Based solely upon box office receipts, one
would be prone to say "yes", but The Hunger Games is a decidedly darker enterprise than the overall relatively
cheerier world of Hogwarts and environs (yes, yes, Rowling's universe had all sorts of malevolence in it, but at least most of
the kids weren't running around trying to kill each other). This first film had a huge hurdle to overcome, namely pleasing
rabid fans while trying to bring the two or three people who hadn't actually read the book (guilty, sorry) into the club
without boring those who already knew the gist of what was going on. The results are mixed, but at least now the
foundation has been built for what could indeed be an incredibly exciting set of films. There's probably no denying that the
film works best for those who have already read the books and can "fill in the blanks", so to speak, but there's certainly
enough here for newbies to get involved in a compelling vision of what basically amounts to State controlled and sponsored
murder. This Blu-ray offers great video and spectacular audio and comes jam packed with excellent supplements.
Recommended.
The Hunger Games: Other Editions
4K
2-disc set $12.39
Blu-ray
3-disc set
Wal-Mart
Blu-ray
1-disc
Blu-ray
2-disc set
Costco
Blu-ray
1-disc
Target
Blu-ray
2-disc set
Wal-Mart
Blu-ray
4-disc set
Best Buy
SteelBook
1-disc
Best Buy
DigiPack
3-disc set
Target
Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with The Hunger Games (8 bundles)
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to The Hunger Games. You can also suggest completely new similar titles to The Hunger Games in the search box below.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray The Hunger Games Series: The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 4K. The four ...
In preparation for Mockingjay Part 2's release this November, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has prepared a Hunger Games "Best of" video that features interviews with the cast discussing the films, as well as key behind-the-scenes moments from Hunger Games, Catching ...
Blu-ray.com and Lionsgate Films are offering one member a chance to win a Hunger
Games prize package including the three Hunger Games Blu-rays (The
Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 1), as well as a Hunger Games ...
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
flag icon to the right of the quick search at the top-middle.
[hide this message]
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to The Hunger Games. You can also suggest completely new similar titles to The Hunger Games in the search box below.
