Review: ‘The Hunger Games’ is Fine Sci-Fi That Could’ve Been Better

The “it could have been better” argument works for and against the film begin discussed. On one hand, the film, the case here being The Hunger Games, works to a certain point, but, on the other hand, you can’t help but wonder what more could have been pulled from the material. We’re not asking for a three-hour adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ first of three novels. However, the two-and-a-half-hour version we do get doesn’t use the time it has to the best of its potential. Once the titular Game kicks in, the possibilities of its first act slip into routine, survival action. It’s never boring or tedious, but something important is missing. As with Collins’ novel – the author co-wrote the screenplay here along with Billy Ray and director Gary Ross – The Hunger Games is set in a futuristic society where civil war has led to a dictatorship ruling over 12 …