Hollywood may be on the slide when it comes to making adult entertainment but we are in the Golden Age of comic book movies - something never better demonstrated than in this first rate adaptation of the popular novel. Like Harry Potter, Star Wars and Twilight, it's full of elements which feel familiar but they are re-packaged well: a combination of Steven King, gladiator movies, gritty girl novels, post-apocalyptic dystopia, etc. It's pulpy, junk stuff given intelligent, through treatment and anchored by a fabulous performance from Jennifer Lawrence, who is everything Kirsten Stewart should be but isn't (except for looks): a top actor, full of serious gravitas, sympathy and relatability.
This is gripping, exciting stuff - the sight of teenagers turning on each other, killing young ones, isn't one you're likely to forget soon. The politics of the time is all too believable - I like how it didn't end in revolution but in a strategic victory, and as the heroes learning to use the media for their advantage, manipulating the emotions of the public. Josh Hutcherson is a bit vanilla but the support cast are superb. It took me a while to "get" the look of it, but once I did I was hooked.
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