The Hunger Games

A bit disappointing given the hype. There are many good elements, like the strong acting, precise casting and writing. However, two and a half hours are still not enough to fully develop the characters. The movie moves along too fast sometimes, while slows down to a grind where it shouldn't. There are a lot of emotions to deal with but you never feel them. One major beef I have is that the fight scenes are lame, but the camera intentionally shakes so much that you can't really make out what happens, it's mostly left to the imagination. This is a typical technique used nowadays, but it's taken to the limit here. You don't feel the panic of the situation. It's like a day out running in the park. I don't think that gore, or graphic violence would be necessary here, and there really isn't very much of anything, but more is needed to provide the viewer the idea of the gravity of the situation. Maybe a couple of scary moments were needed. All in all it feels that they were no more than contestants in The Price is Right or a common reality show. There are many elements in this movie, including love, and none of them you feel. There is also the case where the enemy is shown as a killing machine in the beginning, but then conveniently mellows down towards the end and becomes completely useless. All in all, considering that there are also many positives, I would recommend going to see it and make your own assessment.