Hunger Games leave you wanting more

For those not au fait with the books, the Hunger Games is set in the not too distant future, in the ruins of what was once North America.

Every year, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its 12 districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.

A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson).

If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

It’s a remarkably smart page-to-screen adaptation from start to finish. The ever-tricky first-person narrative problem is solved by introducing intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpses of the game makers at work.

Lawrence’s intense, controlled performance is balanced by a host of colourful turns from the supporting cast, notably Stanley Tucci as an affectedly-chummy TV presenter and Elizabeth Banks as the Dickensian and criminally-misguided PR rep, Effie Trinket.

Despite the story’s inherently high body count, the violence is handled well, particularly the first clash at the cornucopia, which is understated, grim, stark and shocking without being gratuitous or overly graphic.

And much of the film is devoted to the training and publicity leading up to the Games, with a palpable sense of heavy-gutted dread being steadily built in the lead-up to what is essentially the Tributes’ execution.

The experience of watching The Hunger Games is so enjoyable that it feels much shorter than its running time of nearly two and a half hours.

You don’t need to be familiar with the books to love this movie, but judging by the reactions of the young people in the cinema, it definitely ticks all the right boxes for book fans as well.

Thrilling and superbly acted, The Hunger Games captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and ambitious scope of its source novel.