Plot; Part 1: Initial Storyline

Taking place post-apocalypse, North America has become the dystopia known as Panem, in which the land is divided into twelve impecunious districts encircling the Capital, a prosperous government location. In consequence of prior rebellion, the Capital commenced an event to be televised across the nation in which twenty-four contestants (one male and one female selected from the youth of each district in a drawing called “the reaping”) would compete in a battle-to-the-death until there is only one contestant left- the Victor.

The story is told from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives in the coal-mining civilization of District 12 with her mother and younger sister, Prim; her father died in a mine explosion sometime before the storyline begins. Because food is scarce, Katniss – illegally – hunts in the woods just outside of the barrier of the district with her best friend, Gale Hawthorne. They keep the game they need to feed their families, and use the excess to barter in a black market called The Hob.

The film begins with Katniss and Gale hunting on the day of the reaping. After hunting, they go to The Hob, where Katniss obtains a pin with a Mockingjay on it. After leaving The Hob, Katniss returns home to get ready for the reaping with Prim. Prim admits she’s scared of being drawn to compete in the Games. Katniss assures her everything will be fine and gives her the pin. At the reaping, Prim is drawn, and Katniss volunteers in Prim’s place. The male tribute, Peeta Mellark, is the baker’s son, and he once gave Katniss a loaf of bread when she was nearly starving to death.

Katniss and Peeta are transported to the Capital under the supervision of former Victor, Haymitch Abernathy, and Capital worker, Effie Trinket. At the Capital, they are prepared for the Games, and are taught by Haymitch to observe the other tributes and learn their talents, especially the Careers- tributes from districts favored by the Capital who are trained for the Games their whole lives. During a pre-Games interview with Caesar Flickerman (the Oprah Winfrey of Panem, if you will), Peeta- without warning- reveals he has romantic feelings for Katniss. Katniss becomes enraged. In the pre-Games training, Katniss shows off her first-rate archery abilities, as she hunts with a bow and has become highly skilled.

When the Games begin, half of the tributes face sudden death in the first few hours. Katniss relies on her superb hunting and outdoor skills to keep her alive. Peeta forms an alliance with the Careers on their pursuit of Katniss, and they track her through the woods. When Katniss has been run up a tree by the Careers, who wait her out overnight, District 11 tribute, Rue- who is hiding in a tree near Katniss- points out a Tracker Jacker nest near Katniss. (Tracker Jackers are mutant wasps created by the capital. Their sting is highly toxic, and causes unbearable pain, along with lucid hallucinations and infections, and sometimes death.) Katniss knocks the nest down, causing a tremendous chaos. The Tracker Jays sting Katniss and kill one of the female Careers, named Glimmer.

Katniss becomes allied with Rue. They plot to destroy the Careers’ food supply. Katniss sets out for the Careers’ base and orders Rue to set up camp. They establish a warning signal, a three-note whistle carried by the Mockingjays within the forest. When Katniss finds the Careers’ base, she blows their supply to smithereens by triggering their booby-trapped land mines. Katniss hears the three-note melody and begins looking for Rue. When she finds her, she is on the ground, wrapped in net. Rue is then speared by one of the male careers, whom Katniss immediately shoots with her bow.  Katniss removes the spear form Rue’s body. Katniss then sings Rue a lullaby as she dies, then covers Rue’s corpse in flowers from the meadow. This is televised, and it sparks an uprising in Rue’s homeland, District 11.

With Katniss and Peeta being branded “star-crossed lovers,” the Gamemakers try to evade rousing another riot by creating a new rule: there may be two Victors if they are from the same District. Hearing this, Katniss sets out to look for Peeta, and finds him in the mud, with a sword-inflicted wound. She and Peeta seek shelter in a cave while she nurses him back to health. With the hopes of receiving medicine from sponsors to help Peeta, Katniss puts on the pretense that she is madly in love with him. When Katniss tries to obtain the medicine, a female Career tribute- Clove- attacks her, but the male tribute from District 11, Thresh, saves Katniss’ live in remembrance of Rue.

                The only other remaining female tribute, Foxface, eats Nightlock- a highly poisonous berry- stolen from Peeta, which kills her. As night falls, the Gamemakers release a pack of vicious wild dogs, which attack Thresh and kill him. The dogs then chase Katniss and Peeta to the Cornucopia, where they encounter the only remaining Tribute- a male Career tribute, named Cato. Cato puts Peeta in a chokehold. After an intense battle, Katniss shoots him in the hand, thus saving Peeta’s life and sending Cato off the Cornucopia to the pack of dogs. Katniss then shoots him again in order to spare him the prolonged suffering. The Gamemakers then deplete their rule, and either Katniss or Peeta must die in order for there to be a Victor. Katniss realizes that the Gamemakers would rather have two Victors than not have one at all, exposes a cache of Nightlock berries, and shares them with Peeta. Realizing that Katniss and Peeta intend to commit suicide, the Gamemakers announce them as the Victors of the 74^th annual Hunger Games.

                When Katniss and Peeta return to the Capital for their Victors’ inauguration, Katniss is informed by Haymitch that she has made herself a political adversary because of her public defiance of authority. The film ends with the President contemplating what measures should be taken concerning the dual Victors, in fear of the rebellion they may have encouraged with their insolence.

                “Thrilling and superbly acted, The Hunger Games captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and ambitious scope of its source novel.” (Rotten Tomatoes, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games/)