An excellent, exciting film with a good story. Worth watching.

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2020)

This film is the adaptation of a literary trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I didn't read them, I have no particular intention of doing that, so I will ignore the books and focus on the film. And what I have to say is very positive.
The film brings a dystopian view of humanity: Panem is a nation divided into 12 districts, where people live and work to sustain the luxury and power of the ruling and social elite, who lives in the Capital. After a brutal civil war, the elite set up the Hunger Games in memory of that carnage, and to remember the loyalty that each district owes to the Capital. In the games, which are a mix of Big Brother, FIFA World Cup and "Apocalypse Now", two teenagers (male and female) from each district fight to the death, or better say, try to keep on living until everyone has died. This film tells us the gaming experience of Katniss Everdeen, a young woman from District 12 who offers herself in the place of her younger sister.
There is some details in this film that I think are not well explained. One of them is the title: was there hunger? The whole environment around who is Katniss and what her life was like in District 12 before the reaping seems too chalky to be clear. That's a big problem but if we chose to ignore it the film flows, and it does it wonderfully after the reaping scene. One of the things that most caught my attention is the similarity between Panem and the ancient Rome, either by the character's names, the environment of the Capital, or by the idea of having deadly games as entertainment (kind of modern gladiators, you see?), whether by using the eagle as a symbol of power. The similarity is evident... and purposeful.
Jennifer Lawrence proved to be perfectly up to the challenge and maintains a good cooperation with Josh Hutcherson, who is never quite as interesting as she is. Lawrence also makes a very good work when she shares the screen with Willow Shields, who gave life to Primrose. The romantic interest in Liam Hemsworth's character, however, is as cold as winter. In the supporting cast, we can highlight the good performances of Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Toby Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg and, most especially, a huge Donald Sutherland, cold and majestic in the shoes of the dictator Snow. At first glance, Stanley Tucci seems histrionic and annoying, but if we look at his character as a satire of a thousand and one talk and reality show hosts around the world, his work acquires another consistency and relevance.
In addition to a great cast and a good story, the film has excellent production values: careful cinematography with good contrast, but which fails to abuse the unstable camera movement; excellent sets and costumes, good CGI and sound effects. The soundtrack deserves a special mention for its effectiveness and beauty. Composed by James Newton Howard, it is one of those that remains in the ear long after we have seen the film.
Full of action and with an excellent story, this film may not be perfect but it left good premises for the sequel that inevitably happened. It is worth seeing, but I don't know how much younger children are prepared to see and, above all, to understand the story told.