Review: The Hunger Games

So I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. I read all three in about 72 hours and absolutely loved them. I was excited about the movie, but as always, a bit cautious going into an adaptation. That said, I had great faith in the cast and held out hope.

It should be said that the movie was fantastic. Jennifer Lawrence delivered another solid performance as Katniss. It had to be hard going from the indy world into one of the most anticipated big-budget movies with a rabid fan base. I thought she really embodied Katniss beautifully and look forward to seeing her in the next two movies, since Katniss goes through a really interesting character arch that I think she'll handle perfectly.

Surprise performance for me was Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. He doesn't look like I pictured Haymitch and he was the casting about which I was most skeptical. Karina, who went with me and hasn't read the books, commented that she always forgets that Harrelson is, in fact, an incredibly talented actor, and I do the same. I used Karina as my gauge on a lot of things since she was approaching it without the background and love for the books. She agreed with me that Harrelson's performance was incredibly nuanced and moving. Haymitch is not my favorite character in the book, but he might be from the movie because of this remarkable performance.

Cinna, one of my favorite characters in the book, was really well represented by Lenny Kravtiz. From the descriptions of Cinna in the book, I always pictured Alan Cumming and was skeptical of Kravtiz in the role. I'm happy to say I was wrong and he delivered a performance that was strong and soft at the same time. Also, his gold eyeliner might be my new favorite thing.

Last note on casting - the Tributes were all near dead ringers for their book descriptions as far as I can remember. I knew who each was by looking at them. Really well done.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the movie was that they were able to show things happening in the background that were only vaguely referenced in the book. We got to see President Snow more (played devilishly by Donald Sutherland) and his gentle manipulations of the Games. We got to see Haymitch lobbying for Katniss. We got to see Seneca Crane's sadistic glee in manipulating the games. It was so beautifully done, so artistically realized, that it elevated the movie from a faithful adaptation (which it was) to a truly moving piece.

Overall, I loved the movie. What I did not love was the theater full of chattering, screaming, squealing teenage girls making sounds I am certain never came out of my mouth. I was happy that the movie was good enough that it wasn't ruined for Karina by the atmosphere and it taught me an important lesson. For future releases, wait a week to see it. Less chance I'll commit homicide.