The Hunger Games Review
3.5/4 stars
The Hunger Games Scores a Victory
You'd wonder how a movie about kids killing other kids in an arena would work. Well, it most certainly did. Jennifer Lawrence is absolutely amazing as Katniss. She gives this movie such a raw power that the Harry Potter or Twilight never possessed. The film is quite a treat for readers of the book. It gives us such more of a look into other points of view, it makes it hard to not at least respect.
The story starts out with our heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who is preparing for the reaping that's coming soon. She and her best friend Gale Hawthorn (Liam Hemsworth) are causally hunting and having one last meal before the reaping starts. She comes back home to assure her sister Prim (Willow Shields) that she will not be picked to participate in The Hunger Games. Well, as luck would have it, Prim is selected for the female tribute, but Katniss volunteers to take her place instead. The male tribute Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson) is chosen and the two of them are sent off to a battle to the death. (These are not my words but I love them) Katniss will have to make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
I know some fans of the book complain because of some parts being taken out (like the sleeping medicine scene) but would you have really liked a 3-4 hour movie? Nevertheless, the director was able to capture the drama and the intensity of the games. I really enjoyed the cast and hats off to Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks (Haymitch and Effie) for the highly amusing bickering between the two of them. So, all in all, as a fan, I was very pleased and am ecstatic about Catching Fire in November 2013!