The Hunger Games Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future, 24 kids fight to the death in a TV show-style game meant to control the public.

Review: I will say from the start I have read the book which is one of the main reasons I found this movie slightly better than I should. There is just some kind of emptiness to the film where certain gaps are left open in which the mind of the reader fills in. To me, this is a huge penalty because a lot viewers have not read the books. From what I have observed, people who rave over this film have read the books, and those who haven't don't understand the hype. It's because this film was written in such a way that you are meant to already know the story and it remains confusing to those who have not. Other than those plot issues, it is a faithful adaptation and does a lot of things right. The tone seems more serious than the book which I liked, the acting is good especially from the lead, Katniss (played by the cute Jennifer Lawrence), and the overall approach works better in film because the book is about how viewers are watching the game; showing the perspective of the audience was a nice touch since that was severely lacking in the book for obvious reasons. It's not perfect as we see characters added, characters dropped, certain elements downplayed, certain elements played up, and a much weaker ending than the book; a lot of "shaky-cam" moments were also annoying me when there wasn't even an action scene. Although I feel the book itself is overrated, I would recommend checking out that first so that you can better understand and enjoy a viewing of the film version since it was a decent enough adaptation. Or, as many others have contested for years now, watch "Battle Royale" to see this plot better demonstrated with the serious violence it should have...none of this lighthearted murder. I don't even understand how a movie can brutally kill people but downplay the consequences to make it family-friendly?!

Notable Moment: When Katniss volunteers as the tribute despite it being better in the book and making more sense.

Final Rating: 6.5/10