Building on her performance as a take-no-prisoners teenager in Winter's Bone, Jennifer Lawrence portrays heroine Katniss Everdeen in Gary Ross's action-oriented adaptation of author-screenwriter Suzanne Collins's young adu... more »lt bestseller. Set in a dystopian future in which the income gap is greater than ever, 24 underprivileged youth fight to the death every year in a televised spectacle designed to entertain the rich and give the poor enough hope to quell any further unrest--but not too much, warns Panem president Snow (Donald Sutherland), because that would be "dangerous." Hailing from the same mining town, 16-year-olds Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right) represent District 12 with the help of escort Effie (an unrecognizable Elizabeth Banks) and mentor Haymitch (a scene-stealing Woody Harrelson). At first they're adversaries, but a wary partnership eventually develops, though the rules stipulate that only one contestant can win. For those who haven't read the book, the conclusion is likely to come as a surprise. Before it arrives, Ross (Pleasantville) depicts a society in which the Haves appear to have stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book and the Have-Nots look like refugees from the WPA photographs of Walker Evans. It's an odd mix, made odder still by frenetic fight scenes where it's hard to tell who's doing what to whom. Fortunately, Lawrence and Hutcherson prove a sympathetic match in this crazy, mixed-up combination of Survivor, Lost, and the collected works of George Orwell. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Synopsis
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which ?Tributes? must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister?s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she?s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she?s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
About the Author
SUZANNE COLLINS first made her mark in children?s literature with the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles for middle grade readers. Her debut for readers aged 12 and up, The Hunger Games was an instant bestseller, appealing to both teen readers and adults. It has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years since publication. Suzanne Collins also had a successful and prolific career writing for children?s television. In 2010 Collins was named to the TIME 100 list as well as the Entertainment Weekly Entertainers of the Year list. In 2011 Fast Company named her to their 100 Most Creative People in Business.
Meet the Characters
Katniss Everdeen The Tribute who becomes a heroine when she volunteers to take her sister?s place in the Hunger Games.
Peeta Mellark
The male Tribute from District 12, who has long harbored secret feelings for Katniss.
Gale Hawthorne
Katniss?s fellow hunter, rebel and best friend, who is heartbroken when she volunteers and departs for the Games.
Haymitch Abernathy
Victor of the 50th Hunger Games, now the rarely sober mentor for Katniss and Peeta.
Effie Trinket Katniss?s elaborately-coiffed escort and PR handler for the Games.
Cinna Katniss?s personal Stylist for the Games who becomes her unexpected confidante and supporter.
A really well-crafted plotline with lots of stars in it. A must watch!
Katcha S. (Katcha) from FORT JONES, CA Reviewed on 5/9/2019...
This first in the series isn't all that bad, but overall I found it less mature and misleading. Its too typical of Hollyweird to create a 'hero' which everyone defers to instead of acting in their own best way. I guess its too much to ask for a movie where the 'hero' is found in one's mirror.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Carole C. (craftnut) Reviewed on 12/4/2014...
This movie was a total surprise to me. I watched it only to see what all the fuss was about. I didn't read the book. The acting and writing were better than I expected, and the story was also more involved and thought provoking than expected. Overall I was pleasantly surprised (maybe because my expectations were so low for a YA book) at the complexity of the plot, the subplots, and the overall execution of the story. Now I want to read the books and see the other movies.
4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Anthony D. from BROOKLYN, NY Reviewed on 9/7/2014...
Terrible movie. I rented it thinking it was going to be good from all the acclaim and attention it received. It was a can. A stupid movie based on the exaggerations of reality TV shows.
1 of 9 member(s) found this review helpful.
Keith A. (Keefer522) Reviewed on 1/6/2014...
Blockbuster adaptation of the young-adult novel about a dystopian future society whose youths are forced to battle to the death once per year. My 11 year old watched this on Netflix last week and has been insisting since then that I "HAVE" to see it. I was impressed, it's well acted and action packed. Now I want to see the second one.
4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
CHRIS G. (OZARKPILGRIM) from SUMMERSVILLE, MO Reviewed on 1/1/2014...
Good Movie, Good Acting, and a truly unique and interesting plot. One of the few movies that I've seen in a long time with an ending that came as a true surprise to me. I'd enjoy seeing more movies like this that break from the normal routine and that are not afraid to show some originality and not worry about slamming issues in our own society today!
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Tim T. (FireflyDaddy) from IRON CITY, TN Reviewed on 2/10/2013...
This is one of the rare movies that really tries to follow the book.
The actors do a great job and the story is believable. The problem is the story is just one of many parts. This makes it seem jumpy and at times confusing. In the end it all makes sense if you see it through or better still read the books.
The sad part is I bought 2 of these and have yet to find a copy that lets me see the whole movie. It jumped over half the hunger games. Not the movie the game in the movie.
Now storyline... some spoilers here so be warned.
In the time of the movie the United states has had a big war and most of it is empty woodland. A ruling body won the war and has made 13 camps of the enemy. Each camp is required to send one boy and girl to the main city for tribute. These children fight in a game called the hunger games to the death. The winning area gets more food then the others though it is never enough. Wile the main city eats and purges the camps starve.
Our hero or should I say heron as it is a young girl is from the lowest and least respected of these war camps. her sister is picked for the games and she volunteers in her sisters stead. Now she finds she has to not only fight to save her district war camp but feelings of love and hate abound and rebound in our heron and often one questions her sanity and she questions her own strength and resolve to see things though. Want to know more read the book or watch the movie. They both are the same story.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Vincent D. (batfrey) from BELLEVUE, WA Reviewed on 2/3/2013...
The writing for this movie seems silly. The plot has all the makings of an epic motion picture, but it is substantially weakened because all the hard edges in the story have been removed. The turning points seem to arrive without any anticipation. So it progresses more like a bad dream than a story that one can believe in. The characters are shallow. There is very little cunning or logic displayed by either the protagonists or antagonists. There is far too much chance in what otherwise could be intriguing situations. The movie obviously resonates with a younger audience and is best appreciated by those who feel repressed by the world, get off on "beating the system", and believe that society operates without logic.
K. K. (GAMER) 
Carole C. (craftnut) 
Keith A. (Keefer522)