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Blunted 'Hunger Games' is lean, mean

"The Hunger Games" is a mildly sexless, blunted action thriller featuring cheesy digital flame effects and a superbly sympathetic, highly physical performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a female John Rambo stuck in a brutal, deadly version of the "Survivor" reality TV show.

The 142-minute futuristic adventure, fleetly directed by Gary Ross and based on Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy, borrows its basic components from many sources - mostly Kinji Fukasaku's Japanese teen survival game cult classic "Battle Royale" - yet establishes its own identify and style in fresh and dynamic ways.

"The Hunger Games" opens with a crisp, efficient setup: In the near future, 12 districts of a nation revolted against their totalitarian government, which crushed its opposition.

Now, 74 years later, the government (represented by Donald Sutherland's serpentine President Snow) continues to punish and control its rebel districts by requiring each to supply two citizens between 12 and 18 years old - one male and one female - to participate in "The Hunger Games," a popular televised program broadcast to entertain (and to subjugate) its population.

One of the 24 participants will become an overnight national celebrity. The other 23 will be dead.

In District 12, one of the poorest districts, Katniss Everdeen ("Winter's Bone" star Lawrence) uses her skills as an archer to hunt game for her family's dinner. Her father has been killed in a coal mine explosion. Her mother barely functions. Her little sister Prim (Willow Shields) suffers nightmares that she will be selected by lottery and forced to participate in the games.

When that happens, Katniss volunteers to take her place. So she and District 12's other tribute, Peeta Mellark (a personable, engaging Josh Hutcherson), go off to prepare for the games under a cynical, alcoholic coach named Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson, projecting just enough humanity to keep his character likable).

Once the games begin - with an intense, instant slaughter as the 24 fighters scramble to grab weapons and supplies - Peeta and Katniss have no illusions about how things will end.

Only one can be proclaimed the victor … unless the fascistic government behind the games changes the rules, as it likes to do from time to time.

Ross wisely keeps the lean and mean "Hunger Games" in constant motion.

Yet, he never loses the essence of the story, Katniss' relationships with her family and - not so surprisingly - with Peeta, who eventually admits his crush on her to flamboyant TV host Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci, having great fun with his character, as does Tobey Jones as creepy sports color man Claudius Templesmith).

Although every minute of the fighters' lives is broadcast live from hidden cameras and microphones in a virtual studio forest, it's never clear when Katniss breaks down and cries that she knows an audience is watching,

Meanwhile, back home in District 12, poor Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), the hunky guy Katniss left behind, watches her new TV romance with Peeta unfold with a heavy heart.

"The Hunger Games" scores its biggest points with its depiction of a morally corrupt civilization that has allowed its leadership to resurrect the gladiator games from ancient Rome as reality entertainment for TV. (Some characters, such as Lenny Kravitz's stylist Cinna, have Roman names. During TV appearances, Katniss emulates Cleopatra.)

The political fallout spawned by Katniss' actions seems to verge on revolt back in the district, but Ross never bothers to foreshadow the pent-up rage that Katniss might inspire in the citizenry.

"The Hunger Games" also comes off as a sanitized version of an earlier, better movie, as if it had started out as a more forceful, R-rated thriller before being censored for distribution on airplanes.

Unlike the PG-13 violence in the "Twilight" movies - horrible suggested acts that stimulated your worst imaginings - the violent scenes in "Hunger Games" are blurry, confusing visual messes devoid of the power to shock.

Without that sense of shock, the movie surrenders a huge chunk of its dramatic impact, qualifying these "Games" as strictly intermediate level.

Stay tuned for the sequels "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay."

A chat with Josh Hutcherson of 'The Hunger Games'

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shares a moment with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) before they begin to play the savage, futuristic "The Hunger Games."
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shares a moment with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) before they begin to play the savage, futuristic "The Hunger Games."

“The Hunger Games”

★ ★ ★

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Toby Jones, Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci

Directed by: Gary Ross

Other: A Lions Gate release. Rated PG-13 for violence. 142 minutes

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