The Hunger Games (2012) - Make Way for the Game of the Century! The World Will Be Watching!

Rating: 7/10 (29 March 2012)

Adapted from the highly-successful book franchise by Suzanne Collins, the highly anticipated "The Hunger Games" makes a fresh start to a successful movie franchise. So, here's the good news to all fans of the books, the movie is a success from start to finish. Set in a strange world in the future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from twelve districts, and they are forced to fight to the death on television, Katniss Everdeen has volunteered to take her sister's place in the latest match, and might take the biggest challenge of her entire life. Jennifer Laurence delivers one of the best performances of her career as Katniss, bringing the perfect mixture of sharpness, cleverness, and powerful enthusiasm to the big screen. Josh Hutcherson is also really good for his performance as Peeta, a contestant who remembers Katniss, and Liam Hemsworth as Katniss' oldest friend. We also get some stellar performances by a remarkable casting ensemble. Elizabeth Banks as the director of the District 12 group, Stanley Tucci as the games' ringmaster, Donald Sutherland as the evil president, and Woody Harrelson in a nomination-worthy performance as a previous Hunger Games champion with a taste for the drink, are all just brilliant in their own special way. Yes, this movie is 142 minutes really long, but you will be entertained a lot by this movie, you won't care if this movie takes forever. Director Gary Ross makes the perfect accomplishments to keep this movie relative to the books. Stellar art direction, enchanting costumes and makeup, and breathtaking visual effects and sound, help you get captured in the wonders of this movie. But most of the credit has to go to Jennifer Laurence, in her winning and powerful performance in this movie. Whether you're a "die-hard" Hunger Games fan, or if you never read any of the books, "The Hunger Games" is still an entertaining ride from start to finish that has everything to offer from a talented director, wonderful visuals, and a breakthrough performance by Laurence. This is the best movie of 2012, so far! "The Hunger Games", in my review, "a groundbreaking feast, what a journey!".