The Hunger Games (Movie)

The Hunger Games: Despite the hype, I wasn't expecting too terribly much from this one. Say, somewhere in the neighborhood of Twilight in terms of production and a good version of what I hear is a good book.  There is also some minor controversy about it because it's a movie about young kids killing young kids.  But to that I say what I always say.   I say:  'It's a movie'.  How is a movie about young kids killing young kids any worse than a movie about adults killing adults?  They say (in that 'humoring the daft' tone of voice): Well Mr. B, it's because they're kids and killing is bad!  I say: Right, but first off, all killing is bad.  And second of all, it's make believe and the actors know that.  Even little kid actors.  In fact, while it may look to you like there are two kids all alone in the woods trying to kill each other, just off screen is an entire camera crew and probably about 20+ extra people as well.  Are you saying kids can't discern between reality and fantasy?  If so, we should take away every other movie and book too, except maybe the Scarlet Letter.*  And even if you could successfully do that, kids are going to play: cops & robbers, super-heroes & villains, cowboys & Indians, spacemen & aliens or some other variant anyway.  When I was young, in an effort to protect my youthful innocence, my mother wouldn't let my siblings and I have any toy guns.  She gave up on that plan when she found us running around the yard pretending to shoot each other with our fingers and sticks.  Anyway, seems like I've taken a detour in my grading here.  So back on track.  Good movie.  Enjoyed it thoroughly.  Made me want to read the books.

The Hunger Games: A-

* - Too boring for most mere mortals to get through.  The majority of readers get any desire to finish reading this one killed off in the morass that is essentially a mind-numbing description of the bits of glass in the side of a building, but then that's another review.