The Hunger Games

We saw The Hunger Games. Shan had read the book but I haven’t yet. It was easy enough to pick up the plot and follow along. Jennifer Lawrence carries off the role of Katniss very well. She seems believable and likable enough. She seems to handle the bow believably.

Woody Harrelson pulls off the role of Hamish very well. He looks younger than he has recently and easily comes across as a bitter drunken survivor who gets sucked into believing in Katniss.

The Games itself are well handled. The CG is a bit odd in the environment – how do the creatures get created in a way that they can spring from the ground and still be able to interact? Aside from that, not much else seems odd or jarring. It really makes me think that they could easily do a Dream Park movie or series finally.

We didn’t take the kids with us. A lot of the violence was handled just off-camera but there were still a few scenes that might cause some of the younger ones some alarm.

We liked it. We look forward to the sequel and it will probably make me read the books. The arena costumes are simple enough for costuming and are even available online. It has also sparked a renewed interest in kids taking archery – which is always a good thing.