The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (2012) starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci. In a dystopian future, the United States has been replaced by Panem, a country made up of 12 districts and the Capitol. Every year, two "tributes" from each district are chosen to come to the Capitol and engage in the Hunger Games, which involve fighting to the death until only one Victor is left. Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers to be District 12's tribute to save her little sister from having to go. It's the ultimate extension of today's reality TV shows, and it illustrates the questionable nature of these shows. It makes for a pretty entertaining movie, although the director's choice to use a shaky camera during fight scenes feels like somewhat of a cop-out. It may have been done to downplay the violence and keep the movie's PG-13 rating, since the contestants in the Hunger Games are all teenagers. (The film features available English subtitles, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+