a great movie to pickup and get worth the time to get and watch

when the hunger games played theaters in march it posted the biggest opening in history for a movie released outside of summer. while there is no direct correlation between box office success and quality, the numbers are worth reporting, especially the hunger games is a blockbuster that is actually good. truth told 2012 has been an excellent year for blockbuster movies. the avengers and the dark knight rises also boast a nice mix of quality spectacle and audience approval, but it was the hunger games that got the ball rolling. as impressive as the box office totals are, they probably weren't a surprise to fans of suzanne collins' hunger games novels. the books are breakout hits in multiple countries, meaning the movie reached theaters with a built in audience. the hunger games is the first entry in collins' three story set, which takes place in panem, a post apocalyptic version of north america. the country comprises a wealthy capital city and 12 poverty stricken districts. as penance for past rebellion, each district is forced to sacrifce one boy and one girl to and annual gladiator like contest known as the hunger games. the contest is televised much like today's reality tv programs, but the stakes are much higher than survivor or the bachelor. in this game show, the contestants fight to the death.
the heroine of the film is katniss everdeen (jennifer lawerence) a smart athletic 16 year old who volunteers for the games as a replacement for her meek younger sister, who was chosen by lottery. as the movie progresses, director gary ross (seabiscuit and pleasentville) walks viewers through katniss' journey, step by step. first, the contestants are treated like celebrities as they're trotted onto talk shows for all of panem to see. then, they get a brief introduction to combat and survival skills before being thrown into a massive outdoor arena where they must fight each other and number of artificially constructed dangers.

two sequels are planned in this series and this one is worth picking up and watching. if you have not seen it get this movie. if you have read the books get the movie. this movie is worth getting

The Hunger Games DVD is a mind blowing experience! Money well spent!

I purchased this DVD because I had just finished reading the first book in "The Hunger Games" trilogy. The story was just amazing and I was driven by my desire to see if a movie version could do it any justice. I was not disappointed. The actors portrayals were spot on. The performances were completely believable and played with such honesty that it was very easy to forget that I was watching a movie and not a reality show. There were some differences between the book and the movie, as is usual with book to film adaptations, but they only served to strengthen the plot and move the story along seamlessly. I was delighted that Hollywood had actually allowed Suzanne Collins, the author, to have a heavy hand in the writing of the screenplay. This proved to be a plus because we are allowed a glimpse into realms of the world of Katniss and Peeta that we just were not afforded in the book. The bonus disc in this set was fantastic. It allows you an in depth view of Panem, it's citizens and the corrupt Captital that rules it all. Fans of this book will not be disappointed. Although the book deals with very violent deaths, the movie does not glorify or revel in it. The actual killings are shot in such a manner to show how wrong the games are. This keeps the moral of the original plot intact. Big government sending kids off to war is wrong. What makes it even worse is how it is always the poverty stricken sons and daughters that get the worse end of the deal. "The Hunger Games" may be fictional but the presentation echos only a slight alteration of nonfiction. This is cinematic perfection. I am 42 and my son is 12 and we both throughly enjoyed the book and the movie. I recommend this movie for all ages, young and old.

"THE HUNGER GAMES - FIGHT TO THE DEATH ON LIVE TELEVISION..."

(IN THE FUTURE, THE TOTALITARIAN NATION OF PANEM - "WHAT WE KNEW AS NORTH AMERICA IS NO MORE!!!" IS DIVIDED BETWEEN 12 DISTRICTS AND THE CAPITOL. WHERE THE CAPITOL SELECTS A BOY AND A GIRL FROM THE TWELVE DISTRICTS BY LOTTERY, TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH ON LIVE TELEVISION. WHEN 16-YEAR-OLD KATNISS'S YOUNG SISTER "PRIM" IS SELECTED AS DISTRICT 12'S FEMALE REPRESENTATIVE, KATNISS VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE HER PLACE. SHE AND HER MALE CONTERPART PEETA REPRESENT DISTRICT 12. THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSY IS THE FACT THE BOOKS ARE "ADULT-R*RATED" AND THE MOVIE IS TONED-DOWN INTO "PG-13..." STILL THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE, AND NEEDS TO BE SEEN... THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HAVE A GREAT DAY...) THANK YOU...

Love the series, love the movie!!!!

I have read all three books and thought the movie was great. They changed a few of the minor detail, like where she gets the pin and Haymitch did not fall off the stage, and Peeta's leg. I think they should have kept a little more with the book in that respect. I am not a big fan of who they pick to play Peeta; just not a fan of him as an actor. Also I wish they had made the movie longer and added more of the details from the book. I loved the movie and could have watched it for another hour! I think they did a great job with Katniss, her mom, sister, and Gail. I love the actress for Rue, she did a great job; all the tributes did a great acting job! I love the movie, and cannot wait for the sequels!!!!

I LIKED IT!

Great movie. I had been wanting to see this film since it was first advertised, but did not wish to pay the "full boat price" at a theatre... or full price when the DVD first became available. That's why I bought this DVD on eBay.

I found the story to be creative and different.