I did NOT read the books and still enjoyed the film

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2012)

I should tell you right up front that I have never read "The Hunter Games"--so this review is more for this group of folks than the die-hard book lovers. In many cases, I have no idea where the book and film differ and my expectations were quite different from my daughter--who has read the series. However, one this that DID bother me is that despite the film's title, no one appeared to be all that hungry in the film and the way food was used to manipulate and control the masses was not explained well. The only way I knew this was that my daughter sat next to me and explained this (and it helps that we both know sign language). But apart from that and the god-awful 'shaky cam" (one of the WORST inventions in the history of filmmaking), the film was enjoyable and engrossing throughout. As I said, though, the shakiness of the film (especially at the beginning) was a problem--and I felt motion sick just watching the movie! The plot and movie have already been discussed in a bazillion reviews. The film has already been out about 45 days when I saw it tonight, so I don't want to give a lengthy review. Instead, I'll talk about what I liked. Foremost, the acting was really, really nice. I cared about the characters I was supposed to care about and it tore my guts out when one of them was killed in the film--showing what a nice job they did and how well the director elicited the performances. I liked the story a lot--especially since I love dystopian sci-fi films. In many ways it was like combining the original "Rollerball" and, perhaps, "Gladiator"! It was truly original and kept me riveted. All in all, a terrific film--well worth your time provided you don't mind the violence necessary to convey the story. However, despite the books being very popular with kids, I would think twice about bringing any kids younger than about 12 or 13.]