The Hunger Games

What’s it about?

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games. A televised competition where two tributes from each of the twelve Districts of Panem fight to the death.

The facts

• Directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Big)
• English language
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Based on the 2008 novel of the same name The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins
• Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanely Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland.

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Horror

There is a scene where mutant dogs chase a few characters. A character falls into a group of them, they begin to maul and eat him. It’s mostly off-screen, covered by dark lighting and the mutants. However, we do hear his horrifying screams and begging Katniss to put an end to his misery. This can be frightening for younger viewers.

A character is stung to death by poisonous wasps. Their body becomes swollen. This can be disturbing for some viewers.

Violence

Violence and bloody injuries are frequently shown. Wounds are shown sometimes but briefly and are often covered. However, in most scenes blood is shown.

Deaths are frequent throughout the film. In the opening of the games, there is an intense bloodbath where we see a few deaths. Blood is splattered, stabbings and spearing are shown. We see a character’s throat slashed.

Physical violence is shown. For example, a character’s neck is snapped by another character. In another scene, a character’s head is brutally slammed against a wall a couple of times, killing them.

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?