The Hunger Games

From my LoveFilm subscription, I watched this adaption of the very successful book by Suzanne Collins. In a dystopian future America, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take part in the annual gladiatorial fight to the death in place of her younger sister.

This is a very good film. The future seems realistic enough, with the extreme divide between the very rich and technically advanced Capitol and very poor Districts, plus the death-match reality TV show used as a tool of political control. The acting is also up to the mark, with Donald Sutherland as the sinister President Snow and Woody Harrelson as Katniss's washed-up and cynical mentor, and you feel a fair amount of empathy with the lead characters.

It's a bit more thoughtful than the average pizza movie. Recommended.