The Hunger Games Movie

Did everyone go and see The Hunger Games this weekend? This movie came very highly anticipated with much hoopla surrounding all elements of its production. But the question that fans of Suzanne Collins' myriad fans really wanted answered: Would the movie do the book justice?

One of the biggest concerns when a beloved book is adapted to the big screen is in the how true the plot and overall sequence of events stays true to the book. As a whole, the film was very successful in this regard. It probably helps that one of the film's screenwriters was Suzanne Collins herself. Very few big changes were made to the plot, and what few did exist seemed designed to foreshadow the events to come in Catching Fire. A few added scenes showing Seneca Crane and President Snow helped to really establish the Capitol and its authorities as the cruel opponents they are, and also gave viewers some necessary background knowledge about the Games. But as a whole, the plot was very much true to the original story.

My only complaint in terms of plotting: The scene between Katniss and Peeta on the train as they return home. I found this scene disappointing in the film. Peeta's words were far too ambiguous and I think it would have packed a lot more emotional punch if their dialogue had more directly addressed their relationship rather than the games as a whole.

But what about the movie's feel? Did director Gary Ross manage to capture the gritty urgency of the Games? In my opinion, he was mostly successful. There were plenty of moments while Katniss was in the arena where my heart was pounding in anticipation. Similarly, Katniss' home life in District 12 very nearly matched my own mental images of the area. However, I'd hoped for more visual "wow" from the Capitol. I understand that this would have required additional, expensive effects, but I did find myself feeling a tad under-whelmed during a few of these scenes.

Kudos to the film's casting department for rounding up such a strong, charismatic group of actors. Jennifer Lawrence was great as Katniss, and I really thought that Wes Bentley and Woody Harrelson shone in their roles as Seneca Crane and Haymitch Abernathy, respectively. Even still, I have to say that the film's emotional punch was, while certainly present, less than I'd hoped. I can't quite pin down an exact reason for this. Was it the change from first to third-person narrative? Was there too much packed into the time alotted? Is it my own fault thanks to high expectations? Or was it something else entirely? I'm not really sure.

Even still, The Hunger Games was as a whole a good movie. Not a great movie, but a bit better than average and definitely worth my time and money. Fans of the books will be pleased. I would, however, be curious to see this movie a second time to see how much the feeling of anticipation affected my initial response. If I can spend the duration of the film lost in the characters and the drama instead of worried about the quality of the adaptation, will the film be more enjoyable? Only one way to find out...

In the interest of full discolsure: This movie was rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images. It's also a long one at 142 minutes.

Overall Quality of the Film: B+
Overall Faithfulness to the Book: A-

Edit: I came across this review outlining the high and low points of the movie. I more or less agree with their comments on the movie's successes and failures.