Severely raises the bar for film adaptations of young adult novels, to a level of action that is accessible and appealing to all age groups.

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2012)

Every location in the setting is different from one another, visceral to take in, and stylishly inspired. It's difficult to add polished production to a post-apocalyptic scenario and still be taken seriously, and The Hunger Games does this so masterfully, it's especially impressive by movie adaptations of young adult novels standards. It doesn't feel the need to constantly remind you visually that it's set in a post-apocalyptic world, avoiding bland color schemes by utilizing its moody vibe and lighting which the production brings to life, and relies on its characters and well-crafted story telling to remind you of what the inhabitants of the world have brought upon it, with a intelligently powerful observational message that unfortunately rings too true a bell, on how we as a race continue to do so even after the world fell apart. It leaves a diversely organic yet grimy impression on a scale of varying atmospheres, without drowning itself in darkness, and has the balls to not let up on the violence and action even though the subject actors are teenagers, as is the target audience. Making it an example for poor adaptations of young adult novels with clichéd adolescent personalities and stereotyped casting to follow. This finds middle ground in thrilling appeal, and doesn't go too soft or too hard in either respect, making it very accessible without coming across as restrained or watered down. Its engaging, exciting, and remarkably respectable when considering the quality deprived reputation of its demographic of origin.