Y'all gonna hate me: it's better than the book!

Rating: Null/10 (30 March 2012)

Like so many, I read THG when the hype started to swell and while I liked the book, it had some problems that prevented me from loving it. Enter the movie. Since most movie adaptations from books are worse, I initially didn't have very high hopes for it. The fact Jennifer Lawrence was cast didn't ease my mind either, as I have seen what big movie franchises can do to decent actresses; compare Kristen Stewart's performance in The Cake Eaters to her performance in Twilight for an instance. I rest my case.
Then reports started coming in about excessive shaky cam usage. About Jennifer being "too fat" for the role. Key passages left out, etc. I decided to ignore all that and give it a shot.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised!
THE GREAT: - Jennifer Lawrence really does deserve all the praise she gets for her acting talent, because she really delivers in this. When she shoots, you believe she is a great archer, when she whimpers, you feel her pain and when she cries she seems genuinely upset. She conveys layers of emotion with a single look. I love how she doesn't have the blank stare many young starlets have. This movie rests on her shoulders and though everyone else did a good job, it all would have fallen apart if it weren't for her.
And to all who call her "too fat" you know that if she had lost a ton of weight there would be trashing going on about her promoting an unhealthy image. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. For the record I think she looks lovely, a breath of fresh air in an industry populated by people as fake as those in the Capitol.

Jennifer made Katniss seem like a real person of flesh and blood. In the book, though I like the narrative, Katniss comes across as inconsistent. Very capable one moment, an emotional wreck the second. In the movie they have really found a balance. She shows emotion and it seems fitting because she's only 16 and not raised to be a killer. She has the intelligence to be clinical about many things, but she shows emotion in matters of the heart. She's capable and likable. I didn't always feel that way with the book, but I did with the movie.

The editing. It was very natural. The shaky cam didn't bother me at all, in fact it added to the realism. Cuts were clean, not dolled up with cool effects. Some people complained the early kills were hard to see, but I liked how it was done. You could see the desperation and the swiftness and viciousness. Alive one moment, dead the other. No glamour. Just like in real life. I love how the movie does not indulge in gore, unlike many others. Deaths aren't glossed over, they are presented just as they are. Which makes the whole story even more tragic.

THE GOOD: - Set, costumes, special effects. It looks like a different world, but recognisable at the same time. Believable. Never once did I feel like I was watching actors in costumes. Everyone seemed right where they belonged. The effects aren't the best you've ever seen, but they get the job done. - Supporting cast. All very capable actors who know how to deliver their lines. I didn't really buy into Rue's performance at her last scene, but that's a minor thing.
THE BAD: - Personally, nothing about this movie is bad. Personally, they fixed a lot of issues I had with the book. I preferred Katniss & Peeta's relationship in the movie over what's described in the book. If I had to name one thing it's that I would have liked to see more of their training.
CONCLUSION: -A very faithful adaption that stays true to the book without having to sell its soul. In fact, it improved upon it. Great main character, suspense, action. Definitely a favourite of mine.