Launched with the aim of becoming the next literary success of cinemas and so fill the post vacated by Harry Potter (and by the end of the year by Twilight Saga) in the hearts of teenagers from around the world, Hunger Games comes as a welcome surprise by bringing their sources of inspiration, works like 1984, Brave New World and even the most violent manga Battle Royale, and thus escape a little from the typical fantasy, which are these juveniles sagas.

Using their great references to criticize the use of ever more present reality shows and a rampant cult of celebrity, and the control that the media has on these people and situations, Hunger Games is effective precisely because they put us in that world at the same time that is different from ours, brings incredible similarities.

Yet the work is not without its small share of problems, such as presenting interesting concepts and then exploit them just so shallow (the help of sponsors, which is hammered for half of the film, when it appears, even if it is functional, not ceases to be disappointing), beyond the superficiality of some basic rules of this too fanciful world and use of technology. These details do not weaken the film, but make the experience less complete.

Even with some flaws in the rules that created the world itself, the work is effectively a point that makes all the difference: the development by its protagonist. Shown as a little girl who is already long accustomed to the difficulties of that world and that fears nothing to protect those who are important to her, Katniss knows to hunt and survive in a forest, but nonetheless fails to show how you feel frightened or the situation in which anger has to go (the scene she can not stop shaking when entering the arena is a great example). Without forgetting to mention the young Peeta, knowing that even if not the most skillful in battle, can still use other tricks to arrive alive at the end of the game.

Using the dry form of violence, thus making it a bit brutal in some sequences (but never to trivialize), Hunger Games is a worthy successor to the schoolboy wizard, by making that at the end of the session we not only have experienced fun, but have something to think about.