The Hunger Games (2012)

THE HUNGER GAMES  (2012)  ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Gary Ross
    Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth,
    Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland,
    Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones,
    Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Willow Shields
A post-apocalyptic teenage gladiator movie based on the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins and borrowing generously from the 2000 Japanese thriller "Battle Royale". Jennifer Lawrence plays the feisty heroine, Katniss Everdeen, one of 24 "tributes", young men and women picked by lot to fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses at the direction of dictatorial president Donald Sutherland. It probably helps to have read the book before seeing this, and it probably helps even more to be a teenager. There's little or no character development in the supporting roles, the editing's only marginally coherent, the script jumps and skips over parts of the story that apparently wouldn't fit in the film, and the emotional payoffs that come out of that don't feel quite earned. Which won't matter much if you're a teenager, and it is kind of refreshing to see a movie like this with a strong young woman in the lead. Fight on, Katniss Everdeen, and may the odds be ever in your favor.