Could have been great...

Rating: 7/10 (28 March 2012)

The good: This looked promising from the beginning, the setting, the idea behind the game, the main character. I was expecting another action-centered movie based around a sadistic game show that, for some, reason manages to be highly accepted and liked by the society, without raising the question "Wait, isn't that wrong"? The film makers, however, took their time to rationalize such behavior and to explain why the game participants actually try to get the audience to like them.
The characters are quite believable and some of them have sufficient character development. Still, I think the character of Woody Harrelson is highly underdeveloped and he appeared to be the most interesting and promising one. I really think the director should have put more screen time and emphasis on him.
Now for the bad: The initial pace was OK, but the culmination came and ended to quickly. In the end I was like "Duh, was that it?". At some point in the movie there was a hint that the plot will continue also outside of the Games (the riot at district 11). This, however, was just a teaser. The action in the whole movie was very limited, but that might be a good thing because the shaky camera made those scenes unbearable to watch.
Overall, the Hunger Games had a lot of potential but it was never fully realized. But this is to be expected from book adaptations, isn't it? 6 out of 10