Good - not great - opening salvo in the Hunger Games trilogy.

Rating: 6/10 (13 September 2012)

Based on the first novel in Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy, The Hunger Games is a film that gives itself an extraordinary amount of hype to live up to. Overall it is a pretty good film, but there's a nagging sense throughout that this is just an appetite whetter, a starter course if you like, for something bigger and better and that the forthcoming parts 2 and 3 are likely to provide a meatier main course and more fulfilling dessert.
In post-apocalyptic North America, now known simply as Panem, the wealthy Capitol is surrounded by twelve deprived districts. Each year, a ritual known as the Reaping takes place where a boy and a girl from each district is selected by the Capitol authorities to compete in a savage televised contest called the Hunger Games. They are placed in an outdoor arena and forced to fight to the death over a number of days and weeks until one victor remains.When weak 12 year old Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is chosen to be the female representative from District 12, her older sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) steps in and offers to take her place. Katniss is a skilled archer and has a far greater chance of survival in such a brutal competition. The other competitor from District 12 is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a baker's son who once helped Katniss and her family by providing them with bits of bread when they were starving. In the battle arena the 24 combatants quickly split into various cliques, some forming into marauding groups intent on helping each other to wipe out the strays and loners; others going solo and trying to survive independently for as long as possible.
Straight away, a quick scan of the plot synopsis invites comparison to other films and stories. The concept of televised fight-your-rivals-to-the-death is reminiscent of The Running Man (1987) and the hunting-humans-for-sport theme dates all the way back to The Most Dangerous Game (1932). Then there's the Japanese cult hit Battle Royale which seems strikingly similar to The Hunger Games some have criticised Suzanne Collins for ripping off that story, although she has always maintained that any similarities are purely coincidental. Lawrence is very good as Katniss in a part which may lack the depth and richness of her breakthrough role in Winter's Bone, but is still interesting enough to earn her plenty of well-deserved plaudits. Apart from Katniss's District 12 compatriot Peeta, the other contestants are not really built sufficiently as a group of characters. Most disappointing of all is the under-development of the main bad guy, a born-to-kill fighting machine named Cato (Alexander Ludwig). Little snippets of Cato's lethal prowess are shown along the way, but nowhere near enough to make his rivalry a truly meaningful suspense device in the film. The plot is certainly intriguing and thought-provoking. Director Gary Ross gives the film a slick, polished look throughout and makes sure all of the $78 million budget is up there on the screen. Whatever else you might think, there's no denying that this is a great-looking film. The film ultimately falls short of the hype it's a good movie, yes, but not a great one. Does this trilogy have the staying power to develop into something genuinely outstanding? Only time will tell, but there's more than a glimmer that a truly great movie is lurking somewhere in the continuing adventures of Katniss Everdeen.