The Hunger Games (2012)

Having read the books in 2 days, I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. (Yet I preferred the books.) However, JL as Katniss? Sceptical... but in the end she handles the part well. Some things were changed for the film... Nothing major. Definitely entertaining.

Distractingly ornate and/or Dickensian in parts. Unsustainable system, but the games themselves and the setup were interesting enough.

Peculiarly, preferred the pic to the prose. Distinguished directing and capable cast. Surprisingly slick.

I loved the books and found the movie entertaining. However, I thought the movie lacked in character development. I didn't feel connected to anyone the way I had in the books. Also (Spoiler!), I didn't like the way they changed how Katniss got the Mockingjay Pin.

It is odd how every other character is more likable than Katniss without her inner monologue. That being said, still enjoyable. Some scenes feel a bit forced to "stay true to the book", seems to care about the fans of the book more than the average moviegoer. A tepid thumbs-up.

Entertaining enough. Didn't think I was going to dig this at all. Story is good, and the action is solid. So I guess there are more of these coming?

Despite it being primarily geared towards and thought of as a property for teen girls, it holds its own outside of that demographic. The movie looked great and had some good performances as well as a surprising amount of violence that I thought they'd be more coy about showing.

Visually I was very impressed with the movie. I thought they did a good job with trying to distinguish each district. The only problem I found was that i couldn't really connect with the main character and I felt like I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the books.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I'm not familiar with the books, but I didn't feel lost without knowing the back story. It's far from perfect, but it's enjoyable, exciting, polished, and worth seeing for Jennifer Lawrence's strong lead performance.

This movie kept me engaged for pretty much the entire runtime - although it could have been a little shorter. I liked this movie when it was called "Battle Royale" - but hey - all in all, not a bad "americanization". An exciting and interesting concept make this movie though.

I'm not one to bitch about movie/book changes, because they're necessary. The two and a half hour runtime is filled with action! adventure! and excitement! and what's left behind is the story, the friendships, and any indication that the main character has a mind of her own.