Good - but not really good enough

Rating: 6/10 (13 January 2016)

I was positively surprised by the books. Didn't think I would like them but ended up liking them a lot. My biggest concern before reading the books was that a lot of violence – and violence between kids – would be made into entertainment without the moral, ethic and realistic aspect of such violence. The books does address these questions in a very good way in a way the movie(s) doesn't – probably since the movie(s) has been made for a younger audience (?). (However it would surely be possible to make a movie that does address these important questions without necessarily making it more gore.)
So, I could have just written that my main concern with the movie is this – it takes some very serious and violent scenes and makes it into the viewers' pleasure and entertainment, without taking any stand against the moral, ethic and realistic aspect of such violence. (So I'm taking the books into defense here but I have to criticize the movie for it.) It tells a very dramatic and violent story without the morale questions and simply turns it into a series of entertaining events to watch.
If we put the morale question aside it ends up being a rather OK movie. We have a bunch of really talented and ambitious actors who really put their effort into the movie – with good results. Lawrence, Hutcherson, Harrelson really ARE their characters and are giving a true and believable faces to Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch. Donald Sutherland is without any hesitation President Snow. Banks gives Effie so much life and colour she should without any doubt get 1,2,3 awards for best supporting role.
The movie is filmed and put together a lot better than the first movie, without those long, annoying and not really saying anything- flashbacks. Even unbelievable scenes are made believable and true. The colours, environment and cut are all thought through, sometimes even breath-taking. It all comes together so very well, if it just wasn't for the fact that when you remove the important questions from a book you end up with a good, but not good enough movie. It just doesn't touch you, it doesn't mean anything and it doesn't stay with you. You watch it, and when the movie ends, it just leaves you and after a few days it just fades away, leaving nothing.
I would recommend this movie, it is good, it keeps you without doubt occupied and gladly watching it. But it really saddens me that such a good book isn't given a better result as a movie.