I went in to see "The Hunger Games" with high expectations. Although I wasn't particularly impressed by the book (I gave it a B-), the movie looked phenomenal. However, I never thought that it would be the first film in which an actress would do such a good job that she would make me wish that her character was a real person. That actress is Jennifer Lawrence, and her character is Katniss Everdeen.
Abstract: Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place in a televised tournament to the death.
Pros:
-The acting was beyond good in this film. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are the best as the two leads. However, even the minor characters blew me away. This cast did not just bring the characters to life; they transformed them and made them much better than they were portrayed in the book.
-The movie made some improvements to the plot which made it flow better and eliminated a ludicrous twist which made me roll my eyes when I read it. It also provided background information to make the world of Panem more real and vivid.
-The movie had great action sequences, the best of which was the final showdown with Cato, the villain played expertly by Alexander Ludwig. There was also one involving Clove, a villain play by Isabelle Fuhrman, in which the character gave me chills reminiscent of those given by Heath Ledger's Joker, but on a smaller scale.
-The movie also had beautiful scenery and special effects. The former were most vivid in the capital and the later in the control center where they planned the games.
Cons:
-The only real con I saw was that the relationship between Katniss and Rue (Amandla Stenberg) wasn't given the attention that it deserved. However, it was still strong enough to nearly bring me to tears.
-There were too many flashbacks to the time when Katniss and Peeta first met. They would have been better off with just one.
-Spoiler alert! Peeta should have discovered that Katniss was faking her love for him to get them sponsors, like in the book. End of spoiler.
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars doesn't give this film enough credit. It was FREAKING SICK! The only film I can see which could possibly challenge it is "Dark Knight Rises."
