The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a brilliant series of four movies which were based from the trilogy of books "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. The movies are set in the fictional country of Panem, which was once North America. The country is divided into 12 districts and each year the Capitol forces them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games, where they must fight to the death. The amazing cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks help make these movies the masterpiece that they are.

The first movie was filmed during the summer of 2011 with a budget of 78 million dollars. The movie was filmed entirely in North Carolina. The arena where the games were held was filmed DuPont State Forest. This was a brilliant choice as the rugged landscape, huge pine trees and rushing waterfalls were the perfect forest setting . My favourite set, District 12, was filmed an abandoned ghost town in Burke County, called Henry River Mill Ghost Town. This was the perfect set for all of the District 12 scenes as the old abandoned buildings and houses helped create the tense and eerie mood. The town has attracted a steady stream of tourists all thanks to its appearance in these movies. 

To conclude, I just want to say why The Hunger Games have made it on my list. Personally, I love the fact that the main character is a strong independent woman and I think all of the characters perform brilliantly, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lawrence in particular are superb in their roles. The action and suspense create a great atmosphere and you are sure to be sitting on the edge of your seat for the whole movie!