The Hunger Games (2012)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 274
Fresh: 231 | Rotten: 43
Thrilling and superbly acted, The Hunger Games captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and ambitious scope of its source novel.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 46
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 10
Thrilling and superbly acted, The Hunger Games captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and ambitious scope of its source novel.
liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 841,735
Movie Info
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve 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
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Jennifer Lawrence
Katniss Everdeen -
Josh Hutcherson
Peeta Mellark -
Liam Hemsworth
Gale Hawthorne -
Woody Harrelson
Haymitch Abernathy -
Elizabeth Banks
Effie Trinket -
Lenny Kravitz
Cinna -
Stanley Tucci
Caesar Flickerman -
Donald Sutherland
President Snow -
Wes Bentley
Seneca Crane -
Toby Jones
Claudius Templesmith -
Alexander Ludwig
Cato -
Isabelle Fuhrman
Clove -
Amandla Stenberg
Rue -
Willow Shields
Primrose Everdeen -
Kimiko Gelman
Venia -
Latarsha Rose
Portia -
Brooke Bundy
Octavia -
Nelson Ascencio
Flavius, Venia -
Paula Malcolmson
Katniss and Primrose... -
Dayo Okeniyi
Thresh -
Jack Quaid
Marvel -
Karan Kendrick
Atala -
Amber Chaney
Avox Girl -
Raiko Bowman
Peeta's Mother -
Phillip Troy Linger
Katiniss' Father -
Sandra Ellis Laffert...
Hob Vendor -
Rhoda Griffis
Registration Woman -
Sandino Moya-Smith
Propaganda Film Trib... -
Dwayne Boyd
Peacekeeper #1 -
Anthony Reynolds
Peacekeeper #2 -
Judd Derek Lormand
Peacekeeper #3 -
Ian Nelson
Tribute Boy District... -
Kalia Prescott
Tribute Girl Distric... -
Ethan Jamieson
Tribute Boy District... -
Jackie Emerson
Fox Face -
Mackenzie Lintz
Tribute Girl Distric... -
Annie Thurman
Tribute Girl Distric... -
Dakota Hood
Tribute Girl Distric... -
Shane Bissell
Birthday Boy -
Katie Kneeland
Hovercraft Tech -
Steve Coulter
Game Center Tech #1 -
Dr. Sharon Morris Ma...
Game Center Tech #2 -
Tim Taylor
Game Center Tech #3 -
Jack Ross Sharp
Game Center Tech #4 -
Leven Rambin
Glimmer -
ADVERTISEMENT
The Hunger Games Trailer & Photos
All Critics (274) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (231) | Rotten (43) | DVD (4)
The film shows precious little hunger and no sense of game.
Top CriticEven when two people are just talking calmly, Ross jerks the camera around. Why? As the sense of danger increases, he has nothing to build toward.
Ross manages to keep the pacing remarkably swift, given that the games themselves don't start until halfway through the 144-minute running time.
Like the select participants of its savage sport, The Hunger Games stands triumphant, if scarred and a bit wobbly from the contest.
It features a functioning creative imagination and lots of honest-to-goodness acting by its star, Jennifer Lawrence, who brings her usual toughness and emotional transparency to the archer-heroine Katniss.
Watching The Hunger Games, I was struck both by how slickly Ross hit his marks and how many opportunities he was missing to take the film to the next level -- to make it more shocking, lyrical, crazy, daring.
Director Gary Ross does a great job in bringing the thrilling novel to life in this uncompromising drama.
The movie is oddly blithe about its central premise. How can this movie set up this monstrous society and this brutal game of genocide and expect us to not only cheer for someone to "win," but also hope she finds someone to kiss in the end?
Lawrence makes Katniss a heroine every bit as strong, fearless and compelling as the patron saint of badass females, Lisbeth Salander.
The filmmakers' devotion to Collins' page-turner will please the book's fans and anyone who likes action, sci-fi, social commentary or a female protagonist with smarts, compassion and survival skills.
An exhilarating debut from the bestselling series about teenagers engaged in a deadly bloodsport.
Given the recent failure of so many big-budget films, the odds weren't in The Hunger Games favor, either. Thankfully, Hollywood got this one right.
The supporting cast is excellent (most notably Stanley Tucci as flamboyant television host Caesar Flickerman, and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta's troubled mentor).
Some plot threads are underserved but The Hunger Games is a fascinating and disturbing character drama that successfully captures the core themes of the book.
Sure this entry is a ripoff of "Battle Royale," but it's still an entertaining ride with great casting that will more than likely please fans of the book and those who've never even heard of it.
Despite a few minor problems, The Hunger Games proves to be a promising start to what will no doubt become the next beloved Hollywood mega-series.
While the 12A rating renders any serious violence a tad impotent, there is much more going on here than the fawning and frowning of its soppy vampire peer.
A retread of a tale that's The Running Man meets Lord of the Flies with a dash of Twilight for tween-adoring measure.
I never thought I'd describe a film by Pleasantville and Seabiscuit director Gary Ross as 'whackadoodle,' but if the shoe fits.
The Hunger Games may be a flawed beast, to be sure, but there's plenty of subtext to glean from the narrative, and a slew of wonderfully rich characters worth investing in.
While a great ride of a movie, it is also one wrapped around an oddly disquieting message.
The first genuine can't miss film of the year that you'll want to go back to the theater to see over and over again.
Katniss embodies all that's better than her Hunger Games opponents, being aptly appalled at what she sees while also learning to manipulate her audience.
The Hunger Games stomps the Twilight saga flat, and though I found those films somewhat amusing, this one is the real deal...
... Does a more-than-adequate job of introducing a future world and characters I won't mind revisiting. And it gives you a little to think about while you're waiting.
Audience Reviews for The Hunger Games
Super Reviewer
Movies Like The Hunger Games
-
- Gale Hawthorne: Oh yeah, I forgot something.
- Katniss Everdeen: Oh my God! Is this real?
- Gale Hawthorne: Better be. It cost me a squirrel.
-
- Katniss Everdeen: How many times is your name in today?
- Gale Hawthorne: Forty-two. I guess the odds aren't exactly in my favour.
-
- Clove: [To Katniss] *Clove has pinned Katniss to ground and has knife to her neck* "Where's lover boy? Oh, I see. You're gonna help him, right? Well, that's sweet. You know, its to bad you couldn't help your little friend. That little girl. What was her name again? Rue? Well, we killed her and now we're gonna kill you." *Picks up smaller knife and is about to stab her in chest*
- Thresh: *Appears behind Clove, picks her up by neck and pins her to Cornucopia* D'you kill her?
- Clove: No!
- Thresh: I heard you.
- Clove: CATO!
- Thresh: You said her name. YOU SAID HER NAME! *smashes head on Cornucopia twice then drops her body. A canon is then heard. Turns to Katniss* Just this time twelve. For Rue.
-
- Katniss Everdeen: You can't tune out again.
- Katniss' Mother: I won't.
- Katniss Everdeen: No. You can't. Not like when Dad died. I won't be there for her anymore, you're all she has. And no matter what you feel, you're going to be there for her, do you understand?
-
- Peeta Mellark: They have to have their victor.
- Katniss Everdeen: No. They don't. Why should they?
-
- President Snow: Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained.
- Seneca Crane: So...
- President Snow: So, contain it!
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Lawrence is a bad actor? | 31 days ago | 32 |
| Not bad... but you won't get many of the subtle points of the movie without reading the book first | 5 months ago | 9 |
| *SPOILERS* It's a good movie but it could have been better | 2 months ago | 2 |
What's Hot On RT
New Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Naomi Watts is Princess Di
The Hangover 3, The Purge, and More
Trailer for a squirrely heist flick
See what's on TV tonight
Latest News on The Hunger Games
April 12, 2013:
Digital Multiplex: Classic James Bond movies, The Hunger Games and MoreThis week in streaming, we've got enough James Bond movies to have yourself a little 007 marathon, a...
January 9, 2013:
People's Choice Awards 2013 WinnersHosted by The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco, the 2012 People's Choice Awards were presented on...
December 27, 2012:
The 25 Breakout Stars of 2012From the newcomers of Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild to the rising young stars of...
Fresh Links
Featured
Halloween Movies For Wimps
Scary movies too scary for you? Here are some alternatives for October 31st.
10 Best Superhero TV Shows
HitFix combs through TV history to compile a superpowered list.
Ridiculous Movie Mistakes
RollingStone proves even the best movies miss a details here and there.
Deadly Movie Kids
Moviefone lists 11 Movie Kids Who Could Kick Our Asses.
50 States, 50 Movies
For July 4th, TimeOut has compiled 50 state-specific movie choices.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- Primetime Preview: Supernatural, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and More 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Hangover Part III, The Purge, and More 11
- Primetime Preview: Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow and More 0
- NYFF: Joaquin Phoenix and James Gray talk The Immigrant 2
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Gravity Stuns with Record $55M Launch 80
- Primetime Preview: Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time and More 4
- Weekly Ketchup: Disney Plans Live Action Cruella de Vil Movie 37
Top Headlines
-
Fox Animated Series, ABC Comedies Tumble in Sunday Ratings
0
-
Bong Joon-ho Reportedly "Furious" About Snowpiercer Cuts
0
-
Record-Setting Number of Films Competing in Foreign-Language Oscar Race
0
-
Woody Allen Cancels Blue Jasmine's India Premiere
1
-
Lionsgate Wants Gary Ross and Jennifer Lawrence's Burial Rites
1
-
ABC Plans Kevin Hart-Inspired Series
0
-
The Shining's Danny Torrance Is All Grown Up
1
Foreign Titles
- Die Tribute von Panem - The Hunger Games (DE)
- The Hunger Games (UK)
