Fun movie, good set up of the characters

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2015)

Watched this movie a couple of times over a few years. The first time was a delightful surprise. I had discounted Hunger Games as adolescent but ended being very much captivated by the Games and growing fond of the Catniss in particular.
Subsequent viewings make the games less enthralling - at the end of the day Battle Royale does it better - but the movie absolutely works as a set up piece for what is to come in subsequent movies. The world is clearly defined, the politics and intrigues well positioned and the characters are introduced strongly in a way you understand and want to root for them.
This + a good cliffhanger ending make it a solid movie.