Rated PG13 150mins

What can be said about The Hunger Games? It became a chart climber in the eyes of the literary arts world and filled the pockets of not only is it one of a kind author, Suzanne Collins, but the studio and production company that made it into its motion picture form. Said to be bigger than Twilight and on par with Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and its world has become the biggest sensation in the entertainment business since the release of its final book in the trilogy in 2010 and the release of the film in late March. As legions of fans both young and old, gather by the hand fulls to watch this movie. What makes it so special?

The super blockbuster hit series follows the life of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the girl on fire, as she prepares to face a battle to the death in the arena in the country of Panem, a post apocolyptic America ran by the control of a Unitarian government also referred to as the Capitol. The country is divided into 12 districts, each with a wide range of people and product that must sacrifice one male and one female from ages twelve to eighteen called Tributes, who fight to the death for the glory of their district and a care free life as penance for a rebellion years ago. The twenty four tributes are then sent off to prepare and train as they await the danger to come.

Under close eye of the Capitol, the anxiety to return to her family and friends as well as a questionable romance between her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss struggles not only to survive in her world of poverty and despair but to win.

Austin says 4 out of 5

The problem with rating a movie like this is you want to make sure not only to pay homage to the masses of fans but stay true and honest as a reviewer to the scale and craft. The last time a 4 out of 5 rating was given out by myself, it was to the Oscar winning film The Artist. However the reasons for each 4 out of 5 is vastly distinct. While The Artist is more of a film meant to be an artistic piece, Hunger Games is more of a movie of entertainment, so each was given a 4 off of different sides of the spectrum. It was nonetheless extremely exciting, worth seeing, appeals to a wide range of audience and is just downright a great movie. It has only reached a certain level in its run as a franchise for now but maybe will one day obtain a "godhood" status in entertainment film like Star Wars, Harry Potter and various Disney films.
The only negative thing about the movie was some shaky camera work in the early minutes of the picture and towards the final battle scene. Its understood they were trying to stay true to its reality show camera style, viewers come to experience the movie however not reality. Other than that it kept language to a minimum, was conservative about how they showed any overly violent scenes and showed zero nudity or scenes of sexuality. It was ninety nine percent realistic to the boook and gave new insight to different aspects the book could not venture into, and it didnt add anything!

Hunger games continues to grow and bcome an international sensation, its sequel Catching Fire, expected to be released in mid 2013, and is expected to repeat the same sucess, with the same cast, if not do better.