The Hunger Games

Released: 2012
Drama
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson
Running Time: 142 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown: Based on a series of books by Suzanne Collins, this is a story of survival of the fittest among teens.

In an alternate future to avoid violent uprising of a nation, every year they hold the Hunger Games to keep people in order and too afraid to revolt.
The Hunger Games selection process is at random unless a child volunteers.  Anyone between the ages of 12-18 is included and there are 12 districts the nation has been broken into.  One day, called the Reaping,  a female and male from each district is selected and then go on to fight to the death for 2 weeks against other children, until there is one lone survivor, who is crowned the winner and is spoiled with riches.

I won't spoil it for you, so that's all I can say, but I found it to be a pretty solid story.  I only have a few complaints.  One is that Woody Harrleson plays the same washed up old hasbeen he often plays, and that the over the top make up and wardrobe for the elitest society that live at the capitol is a bit too much and uneccesary.  They are trying to make it painfully obvious that the people who live at the capitol are completely out of touch with reality and cannot relate with 99% of the country's peasant workers who live out in the districts and work hard everyday.  The elite have blue, pink, and other unnatural colors in their hair as well as strange shaped facial hair, super strange hypercolored clothing and a lot of men wear makeup as well as women.  It's just a bit too overdone.  I think they easily could've achieved the same feeling of ultra rich and powerful with a less strong color pallete with just luxurious fabrics and beautiful men and women in plush surroundings.

This is a series of books and from the success of this film I anticipate they will make more movies.
I give it a 4 out of 5 for being a good entertaining story.