Don't get me wrong, this book series is easy and fun to read, much like Harry Potter, however this film adaptation was much better than the first Harry Potter. And when you have a much more enthralling character base and storyline as opposed to the Twilight series, it's relatively easy to make a smooth transition from book to film.
Set in a futuristic world where the Capitol controls the 12 districts and forces them, every year, to offer up a male a female tribute to fight to the death in The Hunger Games, compelling characters and acting are what keep this movie rolling.
Comparing Katniss Everdeen to Bella Whatshername in Twilight is just plain stupid to even attempt as many critics have. And the same goes for the actresses. Jennifer Lawrence, most known for last summer's hit X-Men: First Class, is a powerhouse actress. She bring Katniss to life with strength, passion, and intelligence. She can only go up from here and will be an actress to watch for a long time because I think she has a great chance at receiving another Oscar nomination (Winter's Bone 2010) in the future.
The other actors surrounding her bring their own charm to the screen. Stanley Tucci as the MC for the games is brilliant, bringing some underlying malice and heart to his character. Woody Harrelson is consistent as always playing the drunkard, Haymitch with style and humor. Elizabeth Banks brings life to peppy and seemingly affectionate, Effie Trinket. Even Lenny Kravitz as Cinna proves his more than just a musician.
Overall the script follow the book relatively well, providing the viewer with explanations along the way and sometimes just laying out what is going to happen, more often than not a big problem for book-to-film adaptations. There was a pacing issue towards the end of the film, but that's more the novel than the film and the end could have been stretched out a little more in my opinion.
My absolute favorite part of this movie was how they were constantly shifting perspectives with the camera. The camera would follow Katniss for awhile, but then in one scene in particular, would shift to others perspectives. If they were under the influence of something the camera got fuzzy and couldn't focus. It was genius and very fun to watch!
This helped to create the atmosphere held throughout the film. You really get immersed in the world. A big part of this happened during the days just after the "reaping" and the parade. I felt like I was in a Lady GaGa music video. Everything was strange, weird, and just didn't make sense, but in this world it definitely worked!
If you liked the books, you'll obviously love the movie, and for the many people who haven't read the books yet, you'll still enjoy the movie. Entertaining from beginning to end (minus about ten minutes just before the climactic end), just sit back and enjoy it. Definitely a must-see of the first quarter of the year. Let yourself become immersed in this unique futuristic world and remember, may the odds be ever in your favor.
7.5/10
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