Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Directed By: Gary Ross

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (as Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (as Peeta Mellark), Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and others.

The Hunger Games is most unexpected box-office success of 2012. It like boomed one day, everybody around me went to the session during the first few days, some did it twice.

Well, actually I didn't and I had my own reason - I wanted to read the book at first. So I did. That was a mistake because now I believe I could have liked it more without reading it.

First of all the book was outstanding. I loved in a maximum way I could love the adventure drama. It was so much fun to read this book that when I finished it, I was mad at myself for doing this so quickly. But I'm not writing this post about Susan Collins. It's about a movie:

Generally, I liked the movie. Loved the way it was screened, liked the production design, cinematography, sound mixers and editors have done great job. So, this movie had every supporting feature that could make the story more spectacular.

I liked actors as well. In all the whole cast is quite good and well fitted the roles they are assigned to. But Jennifer Lawrence is really awesome not because that I love her but her performance was exactly the same I imagined from book. She's tragic, mysterious, sexy, wild, honest and kind at the same time - just like the book version of Katniss. She delivered the emotions very precisely and that looked natural. I remember the very beginning moment of the movie, when Katniss's younger sister is chosen for Hunger Games and she screams out "I volunteer, I volunteer as tribute" - this is a perfect example of her good acting.

Would be unfair to skip Woody Harrelson as drink-addicted trainer Haymitch. He was quite nice screening of the character Suzanne Collins created originally. 

The thing I did not like much is the screenplay itself. I know this is an adaptation but it was too much copy of the book, there was no surprises, no much creativity. I felt the director followed the book word by word, paragraph by paragraph and did not changed much. So I found the movie boring in the middle. If I had not read the book I would more enjoy watching the film.

But still I award this movie with 8 points out of 10 and make it as highly recommended to watch at least one time.

7/10