THE BEEKEEPER : Tuesday 23rd January 2024.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE BEEKEEPER' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American action thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by David Ayer, whose prior feature film making credits take in the likes of his Directing debut in 2005 with 'Harsh Times' then 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016 and 'Bright' in 2017. This film was released in the US and here in Australia from the 11th January, has garnered generally positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$79M. 

The film opens up in rural Massachusetts and the rather grand looking country home of Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a retired schoolteacher who lives by herself, but she has a tenant in her barn, a man named Adam Clay (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here) who leads a quiet life as a beekeeper and who harvests the honey religiously. On this particular day, Clay is returning from another barn with a rogue hive he has bagged, and stops for a brief conversation with Eloise - thanking her for looking after him. 

She invites him in for dinner that evening. Later that same day, Eloise falls victim to a phishing scam and is robbed of over US$2M which belongs to a children's charity organisation she manages, and all of her life savings from several bank accounts. Devastated, she takes her own life with a pistol.

After Clay finds her body, he is immediately arrested by FBI agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Eloise’s daughter. After Eloise's death is ruled a suicide, Clay is released. Verona later tells Clay that the group that robbed Eloise has been on the FBI's radar for a while, but is almost impossible to track down, and even harder to get an indictment. She is pessimistic that they will ever be brought to justice even if they are found. Wanting justice for Eloise, Clay re-establishes contact with the Beekeepers, a mystery organisation, to find the scammers responsible.

Clay is later provided with an address for the scammers: a call centre known as UDG, run by Mickey Garnett (David Witts). Clay goes into UDG's building armed with two jerry cans of petrol, and after easily fending off the employees and taking down a handful of Garnett's men, blows up the building. Garnett informs his boss, technology executive Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson). Danforth orders Garnett to track down and kill Clay. 

Garnett and his thugs by chance locate Clay at Eloise's place and follow him to his barn, but not before shooting up his six beehives. There, Clay quickly kills them all except for Garnett, whose four fingers of his right hand he cuts off with a band saw before releasing him. Garnett in a panic and nursing his injured hand, calls Danforth while stopped at a bridge, informing him that Clay is just a beekeeper. Clay, having followed Garnett, kills him while Danforth listens over the phone, and then warns Danforth that he is coming after him.

Danforth talks with Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons) about Clay. Wallace, the former head of the CIA, is currently running security for Danforth Enterprises at the request of Derek's mother, Jessica (Jemma Redgrave), and does everything in his power to keep Danforth out of trouble, out of prison and out of the spotlight. Concerned, Wallace contacts the Director Howard of the CIA (Minnie Driver) in the hope of stopping Clay. The Director contacts the Beekeepers, and learns that Clay has since retired from the organisation. However, a Beekeeper is sent to kill Clay, who catches up with him while he is refuelling his car at a petrol station. Following a vicious fight, Clay burns the agent to death, causing the petrol station to explode in the process. In the aftermath, the Beekeepers inform Director Howard who in turn informs Westwyld that they will remain neutral and not pursue Clay.

In the meantime, Verona and her partner, Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi), have been closely following the trail of destruction left behind at the crime scenes. They determine that Clay’s next target must be the Nine Points Center in Boston, which is the central hub for all of Danforth's call centres around the world, including UDG. After informing FBI Deputy Director Prigg (Don Gilet) that Clay is a Beekeeper, they receive full funding without hesitation.

Wallace meanwhile coordinates a group of ex-special forces personnel, telling them that the Beekeepers are a clandestine organisation tasked with keeping the USA safe and that they operate above and beyond governmental jurisdiction. To have any chance at stopping Clay, he orders the group to secure the inside of the Nine Points Building, while the FBI places their own SWAT team around the perimeter. Despite the special forces’ leader's insistence that the employees should be removed from the building first, Danforth tells them to keep working. This allows Clay to quickly defeat the FBI SWAT team in close quarter hand to hand combat, and infiltrate the building, taking down the manager, who reveals to Clay and the FBI, after having multiple staples plugged into his hands and forehead, that Derek Danforth is his boss.

Verona advises FBI Deputy Director Prigg that Derek Danforth actually runs both companies and that both are owned by Danforth Enterprises, which is used by several US government agencies, including their own. Verona also brings up the point that not only will Clay attempt to kill Derek, but he may also kill Jessica, who just so happens to be the President of the USA, using the Queenslayer analogy from the science of beekeeping. Prigg gives them a blank cheque to take whatever steps and use all necessary resources to prevent Clay from finalising his mission, and then signs off to inform the President. 

Wallace, upset that Clay has again evaded being taken out, suggests that Danforth stay with his mother for the time being for his own protection and taking advantage of the Secret Service presence at her beachside residence over the coming weekend. Wallace hires a group of mercenaries, who with Danforth, all congregate at the President's beachside retreat for the weekend where she is hosting a lavish party. Close by to the entrance to the President’s residence, Clay climbs aboard the underside of a truck, switching places with a Secret Service agent in order to blend in at the party. Once inside the house, Verona notices Clay, who by this time has dispensed with his Secret Service gear and is more appropriately dressed, but as he is about to be shot at close range by one of Wallace's hired mercenaries, he activates several bombs he planted on Secret Service trucks as a distraction in order to track down Danforth in hiding in the house.

Inside the house, Prigg tells Jessica about her son's multi-billion dollar scam operations. Danforth reminds his mother that during her Presidential campaign, that she lagged behind in the polls in fifteen out of twenty key counties and needed funding to keep her campaign afloat. He used a CIA programme to locate wealthy financial targets and scam them out of their money. Jessica decides that if and when Clay approaches, she will tell him and the world the truth about her sons use of the programme. Enraged, Danforth kills Prigg and takes his mother hostage. Clay in the meantime fights his way to the President's office taking out anyone who stands in his way. He eventually reaches her office by blowing the door open, and is quickly followed by Verona and the rest of the FBI agents. Verona tries to discourage Clay from killing Jessica and Danforth, who attempts to kill his mother, but Clay shoots his in the head first killing him outright. Clay then jumps out of a nearby window. Verona having a clear shot of Clay as he heads across the garden, but she decides not to shoot him. They give a parting nod to each other and he flees the scene and swims away into the ocean with the aid of the scuba gear he had buried in the sand on the beach close by. 

With 'The Beekeeper' Jason Statham's Adam Clay does what he absolutely does best and that is wipe out the bad guys in all manner of inventive and creative ways, and ratcheting the body count up to the nth degree. David Ayer knows how to lay on the action spectacle, and does so with aplomb, but in the end the script is hardly going to win any literary awards, and the plot in run-o-the-mill and leave your brain at the door type stuff. That said, if you get past all the bee puns, including several references to 'protecting the hive', seeing Statham kick butt relentlessly and violently backed up by a strong supporting cast, and liked the premise of 'John Wick', 'Taken' and 'The Kingsmen' franchises, then this movie is for you, and you won't be disappointed. 

'The Beekeeper' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE DISASTER ARTIST : Wednesday 6th December 2017.

'THE DISASTER ARTIST' which I saw this week, is based on the now cult classic for all the wrong reasons, 'The Room' which was released in 2003 and Written, Produced, Directed and starred Tommy Wiseau at a cost out of his own pocket of US$6M. At the time of its limited release it was panned by Critics for its bizarre and unconventional storytelling and various technical and narrative flaws, was described as 'the Citizen Kane of bad movies' and others have touted it as one of the worst films ever made. Upon its release in one single theatre, the film took US$1,800 at the Box Office over the two week period of its screening. Originally labelled as an independent romantic drama film, the movie found cult status subsequently and continues to be shown in limited screenings at select theatres to this day and as a result, the film has more than recovered its budget outlay. Wiseau retrospectively characterised the film as a black comedy, even though audiences have generally viewed it as a poorly-made drama, a viewpoint supported by some of the film's cast. In 2013 Greg Sestero, the films other principal Actor published a memoir titled 'The Disaster Artist : My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Film Ever Made' about the making of 'The Room' which has inspired this film. The film was shown at TIFF back in September and took out the top prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, and has garnered generally positive Reviews with James Franco in particular being praised for both his Direction and starring roles.

And so James Franco Directs, Co-Produces and stars in this biographical comedy drama offering that features him as Tommy Wiseau, with his brother Dave Franco cast as Greg Sestero. Charting the meeting and early friendship between Wiseau and Sestero which occurred via acting classes in San Francisco back in 1998, and over the following months the two strike up a close, and at times somewhat bizarre friendship. Sharing a dream to make it big in Hollywood, Wiseau persuades Sestero to move with him to Los Angeles where Wiseau owns an apartment centrally located for tinsel town and where they'll be able to rub shoulders with the movers and shakers of the movie industry.

However, fairly quickly their combined hopes and dreams come crashing down around their ears after rejection follows rejection, despite Sestero being signed up quickly by one of the top casting agents of the time. One early evening feeling dejected and at a particularly low ebb, Sestero mentions to Wiseau that they should just make their own film. Wiseau takes Sestero's suggestion literally, and over the next three years spends his time writing his own screenplay, called 'The Room', which he presents to his friend in a diner upon completion to be the first person to read it through.

Recognising that the story is totally incoherent, Sestero acknowledges that the script is great to massage Wiseau's ego. Wiseau offers his friend the lead role of Mark, and also makes him a Co-Producer of the film. The pair then go in search of a production company and find one in North Hollywood. Wiseau is insistent that he wants to buy outright all the camera equipment despite the normal arrangement being to rent because of the cost prohibitive nature of outright equipment purchase. He further insists on shooting with two cameras - 35mm and HD digital simultaneously, which just doubles the cost of production unnecessarily, but Wiseau is adamant that he is a filmmaker with a vision destined for greatness, and this is the way its gonna be.

The production company introduces Wiseau and Sestero to Rafael Smadja (Paul Scheer) and Sandy Schklair (Seth Rogen) as Cinematographer and script supervisor respectively, with the latter doubling up as Wiseau's surrogate Director. Production on the planned forty day shoot starts out reasonably well all things considered, but as time progresses Wiseau grows increasingly short tempered, angry, self centred and more demanding of his cast and crew putting his own failings aside and blaming everyone for his shortcomings but himself. He forgets his lines, turns up late almost every day, won't provide the basic needs like air conditioning and water on a stinking hot day while filming inside and verbally abuses his cast and crew with increasing regularity.

Needless to say the crew grow more and more resentful of Wiseau, culminating in an on set showdown in which Smadja reaches the end of his tether and is briefly fired. Wiseau also reveals that he knows that everybody hates him having seen the extensive behind-the-scenes footage being constantly filmed during production, and how nobody, including Sestero, shares his vision for the film. Having gone way over schedule, on the last day of shooting back in San Francisco where it all began, Sestero and Wiseau fight questioning his age, background and source of income which has been a constant source of doubt since they first met, and to which Wiseau has been especially aloof. They part company and don't see each other for approaching a year - until the world Premier of 'The Room' in fact.

At the Premier of 'The Room' to which Sestero has been invited by Wiseau and reluctantly attends, the pair are pleasantly surprised to see the entire cast and crew turn out for the event, and a packed theatre. Wiseau makes an introduction and announces his film. As the film begins to unfold, the audience increasingly erupt into bouts of laughter over just how wrong the film is on almost every level. Wiseau initially leaves the theatre half way through the screening, but is halted from leaving by Sestero who comforts him saying that whilst it may not have been the reaction he was wishing for, the audience are having a great time nonetheless. As the end credits roll, Wiseau returns to a standing ovation.

You don't need to have seen 'The Room' to appreciate what this film is all about. James Franco nails it as Tommy Wiseau in what may yet prove to be a career defining role. Rather than paint a picture that lauds up the source movie with ridicule and rejection, he here delivers a character and a story of unwavering passion and unrelenting dedication to his craft that makes you feel an empathy towards Wiseau, despite his failings. Also worthy of note is the faithful recreation of scenes from 'The Room' duplicated with exacting detail on 'The Disaster Artist' - many of which are shown side by side in the closing credits sequence - all kudos here to the production team, and the cast too for their near seamless performances in re-creating those from the original film.  Also starring Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Alison Brie, Jackie Weaver, Sharon Stone, Melanie Griffith, Zoey Deutch with celebrity cameo's from the likes of Bryan Cranston, Zach Braff, J.J. Abrams, Danny McBride, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Lizzy Caplan, Kristen Bell amongst others, here Franco has united an ensemble cast the likes of which have not been seen in a single film for a very long time. We never do discover just how old Wiseau really is, or what his origins are, or indeed where he got his funds from to support his lifestyle and the production of the film, but this is part of the mystique surrounding the filmmaker and his project 'The Room' - a film so bad, it's good! This is a good film about the making of a bad film that is certainly worth the price of your movie ticket.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 2' - Thursday 19th November 2015.

On 25th November 2014 I said this : 'And so the third film in the series and the first half of the concluding episode - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1' left me feeling underwhelmed I have to say. This film is the meat in the sandwich well & truly, sitting between the spectacle and the bravura of 'Catching Fire' and what will undoubtedly be a climactic all guns blazing epic conclusion that is 'Mockingjay Pt. 2' . . . one year from now with its release on 19th November 2015'. Back then I awarded 'Mockingjay Pt.1' three claps of the clapperboard, and off a US$125M budget went on to gross US$756M at the global Box Office. So on opening night in Australian Odeon's this week I saw the final instalment in this franchise - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 2', which had it's worldwide Premier in Berlin on 4th November and was released stateside only on 20th November with financial expectations running high.

This film leads on directly from the end of the last film with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutchinson) still strapped to a chair recovering from his torturous treatment back in The Capitol where he was brainwashed to turn against Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and kill her - a fact he is not backward in coming forward with when Prim Everdeen (Willow Shields) reaches out to him in an attempt to determine how his recovery treatment is going. Realising that the connection they once shared Katniss seeks solace in long term friend and suitor Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) and they venture to District 2 on the edge of The Capitol with the hope of rallying the resistance against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and forging an alliance to gain further strength to overthrow The Capitol and everything it stands for, and liberate once and for all the downtrodden citizens of Panem. In the process Katniss is shot, hits the deck, but is saved by her bullet proof vest and wakes up very bruised and battered but safe at the hands of President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Katniss takes her team into District 2, but is ordered not to engage with the resistance but rather be filmed every step of their way for television broadcast to rally the revolution against Snow and The Capitol. Needless to say upon entering The Capitol things don't go quite according to plan when they encounter the streets, buildings and city scape littered with booby traps and all manner of undesirable devices to thwart their progress. As the Team navigate onwards through in to the heart of The Capitol so they are picked off one by one including the leader designate Boggs (Mahersala Ali), then his 2i/c Commander Lyme (Gwendoline Christie) leaving Katniss in charge to now follow through and complete the mission - to kill Snow and restore democracy to Panem.

What follows is a series of set pieces in which Katniss and her remaining revolutionary followers - Gale, Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), Cressida (Natalie Dormer), Castor (Wes Chatham), Pollux (Elden Henson) and Peeta who remains unhinged whilst still coming to terms with what is truth and what is fiction and his feelings for Katniss which he has only fleeting memories of. They continue their journey inching ever closer to Snow's palatial residence from which he continues to throw deadly obstacles in their way. In the meantime both Snow and Coin continue to broadcast propaganda messages out across the Districts in a show of oneupmanship.

At the gates of Snow's Capitol residence where he has offered sanctuary to the residents of The Capitol realising that the end is near, an attack is launched that takes out the men, women, children, young & old as Katniss and Gale are caught in the cross fire and are so close, but so far away! With Gale captured by the Peacekeepers, Katniss is rendered unconscious by a nearby bomb blast and wakes being nursed by her mother, with Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) looking on.

Katniss is advised that The Capitol was overthrown, Snow deposed and Coin has established herself as the interim President of Panem. Returning to Snow's former residence with calm and peace restored she roams the rooms, halls and grounds of the estate and comes across a handcuffed Snow in the greenhouse. They talk and he instills doubts in her mind about his motives and the interests of Coin. Later Coin wants to meet out justice on Snow and his followers at the hands of Katniss in an extraordinary Hunger Games in which Snow and Katniss are to be participants. Katniss agree to participate on the condition that she can kill Snow, to which Coin agrees.

In the final analysis it doesn't end well for the principle antagonists; Katniss gets her man; Panem enters a period of peace, calm, freedom and democracy; and she lives happily ever after returning to her family home in District 13 overlooking green pastures and clear blue skies for as far as the eye can see.

I saw this film in 3D only because the timing suited me, but it is not necessary and only a few scenes benefit from the clarity and depth of field. The story is everything you would expect and films 1&2 could easily have been rolled into one single offering, and so for me this is just another excuse for a Box Office money grab. Jennifer Lawrence is the standout and carries the film without doubt, and whilst the film looks good, the action set pieces are well delivered, the story is predictable and drawn out. It was good to see Philip Seymour Hoffman once more on the big screen in his last appearance, but I never got the sense that he was taking this role too seriously, unlike what we know he was capable of.

Therefore, in the final analysis, if you have seen the previous three films you should see this final offering to see how it all ends, but don't go into your local theatre expecting anything big. This is an acceptable end to the franchise (so far) and nothing more. It's worth seeing on the big screen, but you don't have to either.



-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1 - Tuesday 25th November 2014.

On Tuesday night this week I ventured to my local Multiplex with a couple of movies buddies to see the next instalment in this franchise - the beginning of the end as the final book in the series is split into two movies (a la 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight'). And so the third film in the series and the first half of the concluding episode - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1' left me feeling underwhelmed I have to say. This film is the meat in the sandwich well & truly, sitting between the spectacle and the bravura of 'Catching Fire' and what will undoubtedly be a climactic all guns blazing epic conclusion that is 'Mockingjay Pt. 2' . . . one year from now with its release on 19th November 2015.

Directed once again by Francis Lawrence, we have all the characters we have got to know over the first two films assembled once more, with a couple of new ones thrown in as the action takes us to someplace else. Following on directly from where the last film left us, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) awakens in a hospital bed with vague memories of how she got there and who she left behind . . . the believed dead Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Recovering she learns that she is in District 13 which it had previously been thought was destroyed long ago, but not so apparently. District 13 is overseen by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and is occupied by former military personnel and is housed deep underground. As a result it is relatively safe, secure, and out of sight hidden beneath a dense forest but houses a mass of military weapons, aircraft, and a large community with the necessary infrastructure to support it.

When the Hunger Games Arena was destroyed and the Quarter Quell overturned at the end of 'Catching Fire' our protagonists were carted off in opposite directions - Katniss to District 13 with Gale Hawthorn (Liam Hemsworth), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour-Hoffman), and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) - the latter 'drying out a mile underground'! Heading off to The Capitol captured by President Coriolanus Snow were Mellark and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) and Annie Cresta (Stef Dawson) wife of Finnick Odair.

President Coin aided by Heavensbee want to use Katniss as their mascot for the uprising against The Capitol and everything that President Snow (Donald Sutherland) stands for. As a symbol of hope, strength, unity and power to spearhead the rebellion, Katniss is crowned 'The Mockingjay' and so a propaganda campaign is launched and broadcast to all other Districts to consolidate the rebellion efforts against The Capitol. Meanwhile The Capitol with its military strength and its own propaganda campaign has outlawed the Mockingjay, and anyone seen or heard supporting it will be punished by death. President Snow has also trashed all other Districts, killed many of their citizens and nearly razed those former dystopian communities to the ground - not much is left.

When Katniss learns via the TV propaganda campaign launched by The Capitol that Peeta and Co. are in fact still alive, a plan is hatched to break them out of there and engineer a cunning escape - if only it were that easy of course! With live pictures beamed frequently over the TV with Peeta on screen being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), Katniss soon realises that her love, Peeta, must have taken leave of his senses, given the anti-rebellion drivel coming out of his mouth! How can this be, horror of horrors! But within no time as Peeta loses weight before our very eyes on the TV screen and has an increasingly gaunt appearance, conclusions are drawn that he has been tortured and forced into submission. Katniss can't believe her eyes or ears, and nor can the rest of the populace!

And so Katniss becomes the poster girl for the rebellion and with Peeta languishing in The Capitol undergoing all manner of psychological torture, her attention becomes somewhat distracted by Gale Hawthorn and the increasingly obvious path of death and destruction that President Snow seems hell bent on. All of this seems to amble along with rousing speeches delivered by Alma Coin intermittently, discoveries of more fractured District communities, snippets of televised propaganda from both sides, and a few moments of action. One of the most 'gripping' scenes comes when The Capitol is bombing District 13 and all are nestled deep below ground in their bunker when Katniss has to go rescue her sister Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who has gone searching for the family cat with bombs raining down and the time counting down to the automatic closure of the meter thick bomb proof bunker doors - will they all die because of a pesky flea bitten cat . . . probably not!

And that is about as exciting and as tense as it gets! Despite that, I understand completely that this film is setting the scene for the final instalment that is to follow, and that all this posturing lays the foundation for the grand finale and the big conclusion . . . but this lumbers along, it labours, it's pedestrian and it left me wanting more that just setting the framework for a film that I have to wait another 12 months for. Even the late great Philip Seymour-Hoffman to whom this film is dedicated, seemed at odds with some of the dialogue he had to deliver and almost had a constant smirk and cheesy grin on his face that says WTF am I doing here . . . but I guess the pay cheque is good, or maybe, this is what was intended for his character - you can decide!

There is no doubt that this film will be successful. With a budget of about US$125M (a reported US$250M for the two 'Mockingjay' films combined) it has already earned a global box office haul of just a nudge under US$300M at the time of writing this, and saw the biggest opening weekend of any film so far in 2014.



-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : archive from 5th April 2012.

With 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Part 1' about to descend on our screens on 20th November, I dug this archival Review out of where it all began just over two short years ago. Updated to recapture the story and it's success so far, rejog your memory with what has gone before.

Saw 'THE HUNGER GAMES' this week - the much touted, much hyped, much watched antidote to 'The Twilight Saga', and, the 'Harry Potter' series perhaps for the next generation! I went in with fairly low expectations after it got a slating from David & Margaret on their 'Movie Show', but everyone seemed to be raving about it nonetheless! I was pleasantly surprised although the plot meanders a bit and it takes a goodly while to get up to speed.

Directed by Gary Ross and based on the best selling book by Suzanne Collins, there is a strong cast that includes Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Liam Hemsworth who all put in a convincing turn but the male & female leads of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) seem to lack any real buy-in from the audience and I struggled to empathise with their characters.

The story is that in a future dystopian world we are taken to a nation called 'Panem' which is divided up into 12 'Districts' and there is the 'Capitol' which oversees the nation. Every year two young teenage kids are selected by lottery (known affectionately as 'The Reaping') to represent their District in the 'Hunger Games' - a fight to the death last man standing competition where there are no holds barred, all manner of obstacles are created to thwart the 24 competitors, and it is survival of the fittest ultimately where only one can remain. These Games are also televised across the nation as a form of entertainment, and they also serve as a reminder of a past rebellion in the nations history that has contributed to the world they now know. The Capitol places great pomp & ceremony on these games almost like it's an Olympic Games and the rich, powerful and mighty residing in the Capitol look down on the downtrodden, poor and inadequate Districts with disdain - these Games are created too to prevent any future uprising amongst the Districts by demoralising their peoples into submission, poverty and no hope.

But of course there is always hope, and our story centres on Katniss who at the last minute takes the place of her younger sister Prim (Willow Shields) who was selected at first in The Reaping. Those that are chosen are known as 'Tributes', and when we have our 24 Tributes so a training programme begins and we get sneak peaks at the back story of certain competitors, but mostly Katniss and Peeta both from District 12, who form an alliance as the story progresses. As for the other 22 Tributes from the other 11 Districts of this future dystopian USA they are just cardboard cut out cannon fodder who ultimately succumb to a grislier ending, although some will put up a fight more than others.

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) rules Panem and presides over The Hunger Games with an ulterior motive in mind and his own hidden agenda. Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) is the Games Master who hosts the televised entertainment component with camped up devilish aplomb, and then there is Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) who acts as a coach and mentor to Katniss and Peeta.

The first two-thirds set the scene, give us some back story and provide the training sequences, the preparations, the teenage angst and anxiety and all the colour of the opening ceremony, before getting down to brass tacks and killing time! And then after being transplanted to their forest 'battlefield' our 24 Tributes have to overcome all manner of natural and man made challenges that will seem them picked off one-by-one until just one remains. There are some twists as the Games nears its final showdown which pave the way for the second instalment, which we know comes in November 2013 in the form of 'THE HUNGER GAMES : CATCHING FIRE'.

Made for US$78M it brought in US$691M at the global Box Office with it too being the biggest selling DVD of 2012 with 7.5 million units sold. The movie picked up 33 award wins and 41 other nominations including the BAFTA Children's Award win for Best Film of 2012, and a Golden Globe nomination for its Best Original Song.

Not great, but not bad either - I hope the invariable sequels do better and deliver something grittier and less polished despite the premise - you can get this film and its sequel 'Catching Fire' on DVD and Bluray now, with 'Mockingjay Part 1' released on 20th November 2014 and 'Mockingjay Part 2' to be released on 19th November 2015.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-