This is one of those films that gets a high grade not because it's a pleasant experience, but because it does its job so well. This is the story of an America gone wrong. After an only partly explained cataclysm and war, the future USA is ruled by the technological haves. One way they have of keeping the apparently rebellious have-nots in line (part of a decades-old negotiated peace) is to have them submit two teenagers to an annual fight to the death. One of this years' participants is the unconventional Katniss.
Katniss' story is well told. The settings and other characters are appropriately evocative and provocative. Arguments can be made about whether the film is promoting violence or speaking against it. Thankfully, most of the actual gore is kept off screen, allowing us to focus on Katniss and her predicament. If you've read the book, the film is a fine adaptation. If you have not read the book, you may want to, in order to gain more insight into Katniss and her situation. Or you may not. Either way, I think the film is worth seeing, if for no other reason than to gain some clue about the phenomenon of The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games (IMDb)
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