I Am Infinitely Dumber For Having Watched This Movie

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2013)

You have to read the book! It's all explained in there!
That's the reaction I've experienced when I tell people The Hunger Games is an idiotic, nonsensical and poorly made movie. If I have to read the book to understand the movie, then the movie has been made poorly. I shouldn't HAVE to read the book to understand the movie. If I want to read a book, I'll read a book. If I want to watch a movie, I'll watch a movie. I don't want to watch a movie that requires homework.
I came in to this movie with zero knowledge about it other than A) It's based on a popular book series and B) It is reminiscent of Battle Royale. In response to A) - I haven't read the books. I have nothing against them, they just haven't appealed to me but anything that gets teenagers reading is a-okay in my opinion. In response to B) - No. It's nothing like Battle Royale. Other than "a bunch of kids kill each other" there is literally nothing linking the brilliantly satirical, brutal, intelligent and groundbreaking Battle Royale with the half-hour nothingness that is The Hunger Games.
It's over two hours long and NOTHING happens in this movie. The director chose to focus entirely on the most boring character available as she passively refuses to do anything at all. If I remember correctly, she hates apples and is always trying to kill apples but other than that, she does nothing throughout the entire movie. It's not really her fault though, she isn't given a reason to do anything.
The movie's called The Hunger Games but she doesn't look particularly hungry. Nobody does. There is a totalitarian-lite government that forces teenagers to fight to the death, but in one scene, a bunch of supposedly starving miners decide to revolt and utterly destroy the soldiers that are meant to be keeping them in check. There is no reason for anyone to do anything in this movie. Nothing is explained, no motivations are presented and the section of the audience that hasn't read the books is left without any explanation as to why ANYTHING is happening at all.
It's a badly told story. Every character is forgettable and interchangeable. The CGI sucks balls and the subplot in which the games are to be "rigged" to ensure forgettable jerkwad A wins as opposed to forgettable jerkwad B feels tacked on and irrelevant.
I'm sure the answers to all my questions lie within the books, but if that's the ONLY way I can find out what's going on then I will read the books - which makes the actual film itself pointless and irrelevant.
Garbage.