Not the Blockbuster I Expected

Rating: 6/10 (31 March 2013)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.
Although I have not read the books, I understood the general themes the story was about. There are the games themselves, which seem to have been heavily influenced or inspired by "Battle Royale". And then there is the political commentary on inequality -- whether this is a critique of Rome, America today or just this imaginary world is up to the viewer to decide.
Jennifer Lawrence is great as usual, and it is nice to see Donald Sutherland in a small but important role. But overall I was actually a bit disappointed. For how hugely successful the books were, and how many people were excited for the movie, I did not find it to be anything really special. The plot is not all that creative and thought-provoking, despite the brilliant ideas they could have run with.
Maybe the sequels will step it up with the bigger budget, but this opening attempt did not impress.