The Hunger Games

  I was never a fan of these books. I have a theory that kids just want another series to obsess over and The Hunger Games got lucky. The first book was pretty good, the second was awful in my opinion, and I didn't bother to read Mockingjay. But I'm not reviewing the books, I'm reviewing the movie.

  This movie comes from Gary Ross, a surprising choice because his other films are a lot lighter. His direction is disappointing. He has a cinematography gimmick to supposedly make it more intense and realistic, but if anything it's just a distraction. The visual effects look like those of a computer game. Also, he never does a great job at defining these characters, and it feels like the actors are doing all the work to get this together.

  These are just minor complaints though. The acting is great, for example, particularly from Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson. They are definitely highlights.

  The fighting is very intense and emotional, for the better. Bloody and rough, but you can't really see the deaths because of the cinematography.

  Now, you can tell how desperate this film is to please its fans. Most people love watching what they read exactly in screen but I can't stand it. I love originality.  What I would've liked to see happen just to add climax would be Peeta and Katniss forced to kill one another in the end. It would shift the plot around drastically, but it would definitely hook in the audience. This movie plays it very safe just to satisfy annoying fans.  In the end, it's not really an original story. It's like a futuristic "Gladiator" with teens.

  So, like the first book, it's good, not great. It keeps you entertained the entire two and a half hours, but it should be better.
B-