The odds certainly seem to be in favor of "The Hunger Games," with the hotly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel earning strong reviews in its debut weekend.
Jennifer Lawrence stars as 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, one of 24 teenage "tributes" who must battle each other to the death in a futuristic, fascist society. AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire gave director Gary Ross' film three stars out of four, saying: "The makers of "The Hunger Games' have managed the difficult feat of crafting a film that feels both epic and intimate at once. And Jennifer Lawrence is an ideal choice to play Katniss."
Also opening this week is the Indonesian martial arts flick "The Raid: Redemption." AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle gave it two stars out of four, writing: "The claustrophobia of the film's dingy, byzantine corridors could be taken for a metaphor for omnipresent corruption, but any such thought evaporates in the never-ending flurry of combat."
Here's a look at how these movies and others fared on the top review websites as of Friday afternoon. Each score is the percentage of positive reviews for the film:
- "The Deep Blue Sea": Metacritic, 83; Movie Review Intelligence, 81.7; Rotten Tomatoes, 88. Average: 84.2.
- "The Hunger Games": Metacritic, 68; Movie Review Intelligence, 70.9; Rotten Tomatoes, 87. Average: 75.3.
- "The Raid: Redemption": Metacritic, 71; Movie Review Intelligence, 64.9; Rotten Tomatoes, 84. Average: 73.3.
- "4:44 Last Day on Earth": Metacritic, 51; Movie Review Intelligence, 56.5; Rotten Tomatoes, 58. Average: 55.2.
- "All In: The Poker Movie": Metacritic, 45; Movie Review Intelligence, 43.4; Rotten Tomatoes, 50. Average: 46.1.
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