Almost great.:o(

Rating: 5/10 (23 March 2012)

Hunger Games was spot on with its screenplay,soundtrack, and art design. Being a true movie-lover (of 50+ years) I was anxiously awaiting its debut. How the heck did anyone in production let them use these cheap lenses, hand-held Cameras? A shaky hand-held scene does NOT a great movie make.Luckily there were a few cutaway shots that were big-screen worthy. Sometimes looking grainy, and way too many closeups, it needed more polish and grand scope like a Blade Runner. There were a number of times in the film where patrons got up in droves and left because it got too wordy and honest, (usually the emotion-laden portions as most young people like the drama of reality TV but not the deep inside kind that makes you feel human.) I did not read the books, so expected a grand movie experience using those great wide angle lenses.It looked small and crowded. The CGI was the only true sweeping moments and they were fleeting and not enough to make up for the hand held crap. I'm sure it will do well with the younger crowd, but in the end, when you list the criteria of great film-making (like Avatar or Hugo)..it's pretty mediocre.