Movie Review --- The Hunger Games

I liked it a lot.
I say that as a person who has read all three books and liked them, enjoying that most in my family had read them and we talked about them a lot at the time.  Good conversations followed.

I think when you have already read the books, you see the movie with a different agenda...I found myself looking for what they left out.

The subject is hard and gritty.  And the movie really relayed that message at the beginning, it showed the bleakness of District 12 where Katniss lived.  The almost drudging, plodding of the citizens as they comply with the Capitals laws and regulations.  When the lottery was held, I liked the way the sound faded back in and out, much like what you would most likely experience when you finally hear what you most didn't want to hear.

They followed the book quite faithfully, although they left a lot out.  I know that they had to leave out some of the story, the movie is well over two hours as it is.  There's no way they could include everything unless they broke the book into two movies.  I know that I don't remember Snow being a big figure in the first book, only spoken of, if even that, but he shows up quite a bit in the movie.  They left out a lot of the build up in District 12, where we got to know more about the various characters that live there and make Katniss and Peta who they are.  I miss that they didn't focus on Katniss's team who prepare her for the games as much as they did in the book.  It gave me a lot of insight into the way the Capital functions and about their vapid citizens.
All I can say is read the books now if you didn't.  It will explain a  lot that you may question after seeing the movie.
I wish they had done a bit more about showing some insight into the building rebellion toward the end of the movie.  It might help build the intensity at the end toward anticipation of the next movie.
Great job.
Looking forward to movie two!