I don't think the spoilers are too bad...

I finally watched The Hunger Games tonight. My roommate read the book last year for a class, enjoyed it, and saw the movie when it came out. Based off of K.'s recommendation, I decided that I should give it a try, although I was determined to wait to see the film until after I read the book. I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games in the campus bookstore on a whim, and six days later, I had purchased and finished all three books. Tonight was the soonest my friend R., who had also been waiting to read the book, and I could manage to go see it.

She literally was shaking in the film

Verdict: Good movie. They stayed true to the book without letting affection for it clutter a movie with great potential. For instance, a part of the story centers around the character of Katniss desperately seeking water. In the movie, said near-fatal search didn't appear at all except for a brief comment by her mentor. "Get to high ground and find water." She found a stream within seconds of the beginning of the game. However, the story as told in a two-hour film was complete without it. That part would probably only have distracted and detracted from the film.

Some may say the film was slow, but I appreciated the fact that it built. All death and explosion is not for me. The terror and horror of the arena would not have been as affecting without the background and preparation. The climactic moment may have been a touch quick and could have been a bit more emotional, but I thought it went well. Jennifer Lawrence was terrific as a terrified but collected heroine, and she did well communicating with the audience. The book is told entirely from Katniss' perspective and from her internal dialogue with herself; communicating that on-screen is difficult without any voice-overs, and Lawrence should be commended. Her supporting actors kept up for the most part. It wasn't Liam Hemsworth or Josh Hutcherson's faults that their characters did not feature as much.

The largest problems for me came from the unbelievableness of the "mutts;" the animation just did not convince me. Also, the romantic tension between Katniss and Peeta (which is very important in all of The Hunger Games trilogy) did not come out as much as I was expecting. It is a key feature of the continuing story, but I suppose that is always something they can enlarge in sequels. 

Greatest things I appreciated: Donald Sutherland playing the bad guy and the film's emphasis on the politics in Panem. After I finished the first book, I was worried that the story would continue in a love-triangle/Twilight kind of way; I saw much more potential and greatness in the politics of the story. Thank goodness my fears were not realized. I was pleased to see that the film's director, producers, and screen-writers also understood where the importance of the story lay. I am looking forward to the next movies in the story; perhaps I'll reread the books in the meantime. It shouldn't take too long.