Good until the end

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2012)

For a mainstream thriller derived from a best-selling, teen-oriented book, 'The Hunger Games' is actually quite good. Indeed, more than that, it's gripping and far from stupid, its use of computer graphics unobtrusive (you could have made a version of the story without any, but it still works in its current form), and there's no attempt to over-romanticise the story or laden it down with uneccessary sex. It's Hollywood, of course, so the most beautiful and stylishly dressed people are the heroes (including heroine Jennifer Lawrence, who to her credit is not only lovely but also good in her role); the ridiculous and ugly the bad guys; but this aside, one might even call it a serious movie. The only thing slightly disappointing is the ending, in which the heroes appear to choose individual salvation over raising class consciousness, and the tone of the movie implies that this is actually a good thing. I don't know how the book worked, but there's something slightly limp in such a finale, and disappointing after a generally well-put together film.