Rating of
3.5/4
Better than expected, but could've been better.
Jase - wrote on 03/26/12
While it's more faithful to the book than most adaptations are, it still gets some things wrong (e.g., failing to really stress that Katniss doesn't know how she feels about Peeta and that the romantic stuff is for the cameras), confuses some things (e.g., Peeta throwing the loaf of bread to Katniss), and leaves some very important moments out (e.g., the bread arriving from District 11). I don't like to rate a movie on how well it holds to a book, though. I think movies should be judged independently. Each deserves a tabula rasa sort of treatment.
This movie stands very well on its own. I only have two main concerns not directly related to what's missing from the book. First, the violence is sort of downplayed with the use of shaky camera techniques and quick cuts. Everyone knows how violent it's supposed to be, so show it. An R rating isn't the worst thing in the world. The other thing is that the actor who plays Gale is, in my opinion, wrong for the part. The rest of the cast is perfect. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were fantastic. Woody Harrelson was really good, too. Liam Hemsworth just doesn't seem right to me, though. But he'll have a lot more time in the next movie to prove me wrong.
