4. The Hunger Games
When leaving a showing of The Hunger Games, I was asked if I was on Team Peeta or Team Gale, to which I could only respond with confusion. For while to many The Hunger Games is the successor to Twilight a fantastical story that was ultimately a teen love triangle Gary Ross film adaptation of Suzanne Collins smash teen-fiction hit managed to subvert rabid fan swooning and create an exciting sci-fi adventure. Ross shaky-cam approach at first seemed an odd decision and takes a good twenty minutes to get used to, but once the film gets into its groove its a delight, lending an intimate view on a large scale story. This is imperative once we (dare I say finally) get to the violent games, as it keeps this in-world TV show from being all about the spectacle. Jennifer Lawrence is the star and will be a key reason in people returning for the next three films (the final film, Mockingjay, has been split into two). Shes a wonderful gateway into the world of Panam and anyone who doesn't get shivers down their back when she takes her sisters place at the games may just be dead inside. Its Lawrences performance that keeps the film from becoming a simple love triangle; shes a competent actress capable of juggling more than one plot and makes Katniss love interests just part of this wider story.