Bleak but powerful blockbuster

I’m not a 12-year-old girl, but I would imagine they would not want to see children their age being gruesomely murdered with spears any more than I would.

“The Hunger Games,” then, is a puzzling blockbuster.

For something being marketed as the next “Twilight,” the film is a shockingly bleak and brutal story of survival and mortality in the face of massive pressure and little hope. It is a deftly powerful piece of filmmaking that more closely resembles “Children of Men” than light entertainment.

Thankfully, Gary Ross’ film never tries to be something it’s not. From its outset, we are plunged into the gritty, dark, ruthless world of the futuristic nation Panem’s District 12.

We learn that 24 children ages 12 to 18 are annually selected as tributes for a reality TV death match with only one survivor. District 12’s victim is Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a volunteer in place of her helpless younger sister, Prim. She’s paired with a male sacrifice, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), and both are shipped off to the central, aristocratic hub that craves such entertainment.

The lively color in the Capitol is a welcome change of pace, but in “The Hunger Games,” even the garish is grim.

The problem is, once we are dumped into the forested world of the games, the film never leaves. We are constantly locked in an uncomfortable struggle with no optimism to propel us forward.

And as opposed to fun, stylized action, Ross’ battle scenes are intended to be claustrophobic, nightmarish experiences free of glamorous money shots or special effects wizardry. Ross’ skill is in keeping the constant kill-or-be-killed anticipation tense, making for a truly pulse-pounding final hour and a half.

So I’m still trying to figure out why this riveting but frankly depressing movie would be appealing to any mass audience.

My money is on Katniss, a more relatable and complex feminine figure than the one-dimensional badass Lisbeth Salander of “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or the blindly devoted Bella Swan of “Twilight.”

It’s hard to imagine tweens swooning for any of this, and nor should they. For as hard to watch as “The Hunger Games” can be, this is a smartly made film with a wonderful role model who keeps you hungry for more.