But it could have been so easily 10

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2012)

First of all I have to say that I haven't read the hunger games, a friend told me that the movie just had a few changes but it would sum up the book pretty good.
Well I gonna start with the good things: The characters and actors. I was impressed by the between teen and adult actors they were really good, I felt really connected to each of them which is also because their characters were written very well it's great to see that the author obviously treats his audience/readers seriously and knows how to write clever teenagers who aren't just cardboard cutouts. Next the camera-work is pretty good although there is a lot of shaky cam, the length and the way the suspense is build up with it's sort of two half's was really great sort of a Kubrick like and overall I liked the idea But with the idea and story were my problems. Now keep in mind I haven't read the book and i didn't want my friends to tell me anything from the book so that I can only understand this universe by the movie and I think thats were some people gonna have the same complains as I have.
*I'm not gonna spoil anything, but give a short version of the beginning* First of all these are the 74th Hunger-Games is seriously anyone telling me that this ending NO SPOILER has never happened in 74 years? I mean these are still humans I just cant comprehend the fact that for over 74 years these hunger games happened just as they were planed without any problems caused by the competitors. Second these games *again no real spoiler but a basic info* as I understood were made to prevent a war of the districts. Exactly how is a tournament of kids from 12-18 going to prevent a war rather then forcing people to get mad at the government and system who made this happen? In the book its probably explained but again in the movie it stays as a plot hole, at least for me. There is also a little problem that would require me to spoil something but I think a review doesn't need spoilers to explain my thoughts.
All in all its a nice movie, definitely watchable and for smart teenagers a must see but in the end I feel like I really have to read the book in order to understand the world this story takes place in and thats kind of sad because with Harry Potter I could leave the books aside and enjoy the movies for what they are without feeling betrayed, with Hunger Games I know that I cant understand this universe enough.