DCRJ's Movie Reviews : THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

We saw THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) at Centerstage, SM Mall of Asia, March 22, 2012 Thursday. Set somewhere in future North America where a contest is held annually by the evil Capitol nation with the 12 districts represented by a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games, a brutal death sport until one remains as the victor. It reminded me of the TV show 'Survivor' (Survivor Philippines here) which showed similar elements involved sans the brutality. Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique of X-Men: First Class) as Katniss Everdeen takes the lead in this action thriller. Some offensiveness in some scenes involving minors being brutally hacked, shaky camera pannings, too much close-ups on action sequences and some cheesiness on the love element between Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Liam Hemsworth (brother of the Mighty Thor Chris Hemsworth) looks bland, stoic and dumb (LOL). Overall, it's effective and a powerful thrill ride despite its repulsive plot involving young tweens pitted against late teen bullies and the lack of deep characterizations on the lead stars. My ratings: 3.5 out of 5 Biscuits !