I just watched “Hunger Games” (was on Film 4) and in the true spirit of STW I’m here to turn my nose up and say: I don’t get it.

It was watchable enough, but it seemed pretty derivative, a bit thin and fairly predictable.

So why the massive popularity?

Congratulations….You’re obviously not a teenage girl 😀

pretty derivative, a bit thin and fairly predictable

Accurately describes what the majority of people want from entertainment.

So why the massive popularity?

For 15 year old girls. You’ve missed both of those boats.

Not that I’m a movie snob, I just watched Milla Jovovich roundhouse kick a zombie dog in the head, I just expected more from Hunger Games.

I must be a 15 year old girl then as I quite liked it and the second one 😀

Go and watch Battle Royale

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aTX0gLn9EhA[/video]

Now remake it crap for an American teenage girl audience

You now understand the Hunger Games

I quite liked it. Battle Royale with cheese.

From what I can tell having only seen adverts for it, is that it’s the new Twilight. I only ever saw adverts for Twilight but even that was enough to make me want to throw heavy objects at the telly.

I thought the same. Hunger Games was OK….a decent Saturday night watch, but dunno why it seems to have reached cult status.

I don’t get it either …

I prefer zombies shooting or hacking 😆

Is Battle royale what they call the Hunger games in Europe, because of the metric system?

I must admit I like it, read the books a few years ago & have seen the films so far, but I just enjoy a film for what it is, a bit of mindless escapism.

The first hunger games was ok, after that they were crap.

idea’s been used before !

http://splash.abc.net.au/media?id=521089

http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/conscription/birthday-ballot.php

Didn’t mind the Hunger Games,as Cougar says”Battle Royale with cheese”,but I just watched Under the Skin ( which I missed at the cinema and was really looking forward to)and failed to get it. Just too art installation for me
🙁

I quite liked it. Battle Royale with cheese

[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1s6JuwvioHg/T3nCWQwPIZI/AAAAAAAABog/hf5VA3zHLkI/s1600/images.jpeg[/img]

There is quite a bit of The Running Man in there too.

I got as far as the first 5 minutes of the first film, some time ago and it annoyed me that much I turned off.

Go and watch Battle Royale

Exactly. That plus a hefty dose of Running Man, and countless other “big corporation/elites ruling over powerless underclass” futuristic dystopias.

With a sickening bit of Twilight-style “choice of two beefcakes” romance for good measure.

The running man film, is absolutely nothing like the book by the way. The book was way better (as books often are).

Yes derivative crap that does nothing new, reminds you of many films seen before, and executes it averagely well.

Like others I was left underwhelmed by it all

I liked it for all the above reasons more credible than the running man(film) not as good as battle royale more plot than the twilight thing. I had read the books and found them surprisingly not as bad as I expected. I would still love to see a proper film of the running man.

It’s like twilight but without vampires crossed with animal farm but with added teenage angst

I had read the books and found them surprisingly not as bad as I expected

High praise indeed 😉

I enjoyed the first one way more than I thought I would. Haven’t bothered with second yet.
PSA for those who didn’t like Hunger Games: don’t watch Maze Runner.

I liked the books and the films. I also like Battle Royale, both book and film. The Battle Royale book is brutal.