The Hunger Games

2012
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The Hunger Games

Critics Consensus

Thrilling and superbly acted, The Hunger Games captures the dramatic violence, raw emotion, and ambitious scope of its source novel.

84%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 308

81%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 902,526

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The Hunger Games Photos

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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 lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. -- (C) Lionsgate
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens)
  • Genre:
    Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Directed By:
    Gary Ross
  • Written By:
    Billy Ray, Suzanne Collins, Gary Ross
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $407,981,652
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Lionsgate

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence
as Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson
as Peeta Mellark
Liam Hemsworth
as Gale Hawthorne
Woody Harrelson
as Haymitch Abernathy
Elizabeth Banks
as Effie Trinket
Sandra Ellis Lafferty
as Hob Vendor
Lenny Kravitz
as Cinna
Stanley Tucci
as Caesar Flickerman
Donald Sutherland
as President Snow
Wes Bentley
as Seneca Crane
Alexander Ludwig
as Cato
Isabelle Fuhrman
as Clove
Amandla Stenberg
as Rue
Willow Shields
as Primrose Everdeen
Kimiko Gelman
as Venia
Latarsha Rose
as Portia
Bruce Bundy
as Octavia
Nelson Ascencio
as Flavius
Paula Malcomson
as Katniss' Mother
Dayo Okeniyi
as Thresh
Jack Quaid
as Marvel
Karan Kendrick
as Atala
Amber Chaney
as Avox Girl
Raiko Bowman
as Peeta's Mother
Phillip Troy Linger
as Katiniss' Father
Rhoda Griffis
as Registration Woman
Sandino Moya-Smith
as Propaganda Film Tribute
Sandino Moya
as Propaganda Film Tribute
Dwayne Boyd
as Peacekeeper #1
Anthony Reynolds
as Peacekeeper #2
Judd Lormand
as Peacekeeper #3
Kalia Prescott
as Tribute Girl District 3
Ethan Jamieson
as Tribute Boy District 4
Mackenzie Lintz
as Tribute Girl District 8
Jacqueline Emerson
as Fox Face
Jackie Emerson
as Fox Face
Annie Thurman
as Tribute Girl District 9
Dakota Hood
as Tribute Girl District 10
Shane Bissell
as Birthday Boy
Katie Kneeland
as Hovercraft Tech
Steve Coulter
as Game Center Tech #1
Dr. Sharon Morris May
as Game Center Tech #2
Tim Taylor
as Game Center Tech #3
Jack Ross Sharp
as Game Center Tech #4
Leven Rambin
as Glimmer
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Critic Reviews for The Hunger Games

All Critics (308) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (259) | Rotten (49)

  • The film shows precious little hunger and no sense of game.

    June 17, 2013 | Full Review…

    David Thomson

    The New Republic
    Top Critic

  • Even 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.

    March 26, 2012 | Full Review…

    David Denby

    New Yorker
    Top Critic

  • Ross manages to keep the pacing remarkably swift, given that the games themselves don't start until halfway through the 144-minute running time.

    March 23, 2012 | Rating: B | Full Review…

    Peter Rainer

    Christian Science Monitor
    Top Critic

  • The Hunger Games absolutely delivers for its target audience: younger teenagers. To them, it can be highly recommended.

    March 23, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    David Sexton

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • Like the select participants of its savage sport, The Hunger Games stands triumphant, if scarred and a bit wobbly from the contest.

    March 22, 2012 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Scott Bowles

    USA Today
    Top Critic

  • I know we're supposed to tut-tut about levels of cinematic violence, but this seems to me one of the rare occasions when the film needed to be bolder, and nastier.

    March 22, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Anthony Quinn

    Independent (UK)
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (308)

Audience Reviews for The Hunger Games

  • Nov 09, 2015
    "The Hunger Games" is a a good Sci-fi movie with good acting and great special effects. This movie is a great start into "The Hunger Games" quadrilogy. And I do look forward to seeing "Catching Fire". I would recommend this movie to anyone who does enjoy sci-fi movies. I give "The Hunger Games" a 7.5/10.
    Steve G Super Reviewer
  • May 09, 2014
    Weird movie. Seems to be about the exploitation of young people for public entertainment. Meanwhile, the film features an up-and-coming starlet as the heroine (Jennifer Lawrence), and she's becoming a fixture of Hollywood entertainment in her own right. All the scenes in the film look very anodyne and clear; even dirty people, dirty rooms, dirty floors look like something clean trying to look dirty. Violence is rampant throughout the movie but it's softened by soft focus and overlaid by orchestral music suggesting that while yes this is a lot of violence for a PG-13, nobody involved with this motion picture condones it, and anyway isn't it nice that we cut away right before a young boy's neck is snapped? The film's heroine, by the way, who is fighting for survival, makes her first kill in the film and shows no remorse, as I imagine a young woman in her situation, I, or almost anyone on the planet who is not a sociopath would. Nobody seems to be too torn up that they are killing other children and young adults. That said, the movie is slick and flashy, and I'm sure the rest of the films will continue to attract a lot of attention.
    Billie P Super Reviewer
  • Mar 27, 2014
    Elevated by a tremendous second half.
    Kyle M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 10, 2014
    Watched on: January 10, 2014 I wasn't least interested in going for it, but I'm glad that I did. I thought it would be just a version of Battle Royale, but there was much more entertainment in store than my expectations. The movie starts with a girl fearing to be chosen as a participant in The Hunger Games, and her nightmare turns real. But she has a brave elder sister willing to volunteer and save her sister from the probable negative consequences. Then begins the promotion of the game and the training, et al. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but the chemistry forming between Katniss and Peeta draws attention and keeps it going. Finally, I didn't find the game much exciting except for the very ending.
    familiar s Super Reviewer
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