Movie Review: The Hunger Games

I made up for not seeing this sooner by seeing it twice in one day, pretty much. And I have to say, this is a pretty damn good movie considering all the marketing that they did for this. I've never seen such a push for items since the Harry Potter movies. But anyone onto the movie itself. From what I saw, since I've read the books, this movie is a pretty close adaptation to the book. There are a few plot points missing, but nothing added for substance, to which I applaud Hollywood for. What I cannot applaud is the pacing however. This movie is only 2 hours, but it feels longer, more like 3. I mean, the first hour, we all saw in the trailer, so we didn't really need to drag it out so long. However, once the games begin, it picks up and keeps you interested for the rest of the film. The actors are all good. Jennifer Lawrence thankfully didn't go to the Kristen Stewart Academy of Acting, and pulls off many scenes with realism conviction, many times without a word of speech. Josh Hutchinson has improved his acting since Bridge to Teribethia, and while his character may not be the most interesting, he does a good job with it. Woody Harrelson is funny, probably more then the character needed, but I'll pass judgement on him. He probably did this for the fee of a Twinkie. There are scenes that are shocking, sad and frightening, and all work well, though the climax of the movie did feel a bit rushed to me. Also, I didn't like the design of the finale, they reminded me too much of the creatures at the end of Ghostbusters. Still, the final scene with Donald Sutherland is by far the best in the film, with facial actions and expression that speak louder then any words could. It leaves you wanting more.

Overall, this movie is far and away a great film(cause it was filmed carefully this way). It will most likely replace the Harry Potter series, and do it quite well. I look forward to seeing sequels to this series in the not-to distant future.

Rating: 4.5/5