Much much better than I thought it would be.

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2013)

I am 40 and have never heard of the book and not being a massive fan of Jennifer Lawrence had little desire to see the film. The premise seems quite similar to Battle Royale, a film I enjoyed a lot so on a whim I decided to see what it was like.
I was aware that this was only a 12A so would be a watered down version but I prefer to make my own mind up about a film not blindly knock a film because it's seen as 'uncool' or not specifically aimed at my age or gender bracket.
The film boasts an excellent cast and Jennifer Lawrence is slowly winning me around. She was perfect for this role. Donald Sutherland and Wes Bentley also put in good performances.
The Hunger Games grabbed me early on and the set up explained the set up well which made it a lot easier to follow what was going on. People have complained at the slow build up but I found it to be necessary in this instance. In any case although it may have lacked action for me it was never boring.
The film has a fair amount of tension and whilst the deaths are understandably not gory it doesn't hinder the film too much. If you're looking for gore then stay away from 12A films. This is a story led film and it tells it's a story told very well.
This is an impressive film, forget what the self appointed trendies say. It's easy to sit behind a computer and criticize to make yourself feel more important. There really isn't anything bad you can say about this film. It's targeted at a certain audience who judging by the films success were more than happy with the end result and ultimately that's what counts.
The Hunger Games took me by surprise at how enjoyable and well made it is. It isn't as good as Battle Royale but it's aiming at a different audience. If you watch it with an open mind you may enjoy it as much as I did.