Movie Review - 'Hunger Games' Leaves You Hungry for More

April Barkley
WCB Movie Writer

Studio - Lionsgate, Color Force

Director - Gary Ross

Starring - Jennifer Lawrence,

Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth,

Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks,

Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci,

Donald Sutherland

Rating - 3.5 out 4 Stars

Yes! It’s here! Whether you’ve read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins or have not, you’ll love what director Gary Ross does with the film and the great cast. The questionable thing about movies adapted from books is that sometimes viewers get lost if they haven’t read the books. Not true here. Viewers will certainly understand the plot and fall in love with the cast.

Annually in the Capitol of what was once North America, each of its twelve districts selects one girl and one boy from each within the age group of 12 to 18 at random to compete in the Hunger Games. This televised event involves all these teens fighting and killing off one another until one survivor remains and wins.

From District 12 we meet Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Katniss volunteers when her younger sister Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is picked to participate in the 74^th annual Hunger Games. With Katniss’ skills of hunting and talents for the will for survival and bow & arrow shooting, viewers are confident in her ability to win.

With this movie being almost 2 and a half hours, I thought looking at my watch would be inevitable. But that was not the case. I was attached to the film the whole time and very engaged. That being said, there were some slow parts during the middle of the movie that I wished would have picked up a little. And some of the filming was disappointing. During almost all action scenes, the filming was poorly done which made it hard to see what was even going on. It’s hard to say anything too bad about this movie considering it was so imaginative and attractive.

Lawrence was sassy and a fighter. You were rooting for her the whole time. Her talent for acting pulls the film together. She could hunt, be sweet and caring, and be in a love triangle with a challenger and a boy from home and do it all while she’s sabotaging the survival of her opponents.

The costume design was unbelievable. The people of the poor districts rocked their hunting gear and amongst the rich and high status, bright colors, wild and loud hats and fantastical looking garments that gives true meaning to futuristic fashion.

This idea of these kids killing each other is certainly buzzing about in peoples’ minds. So, while the subject of the film and books can be a little impacting, most of the scenes are not too graphic and the film has so much more substance to it than children killing off one another in this adrenaline-pumping blockbuster.

You’ll be on the edge of your seat, you’ll cry, you’ll be in awe and of course you’ll be hungry for more. And there will be more. Happy Hunger Games.