Don't spect fireworks...just a great movie at the height of the books...

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2012)

First at all, I have to recognized that I'm a huge fan of the books trilogy. Suzanne Collins created in three books a complex world that doesn't seems to be so far from the actual. Based on that, I didn't spect too much from the movie: it's very hard to see films that can reflect the passion, the emotion and the background of the story presents in a book. And Hollywood has a lot of failures trying to do that.
So, maybe that was what I liked about this film: a movie that it's not centered in the special effects (but they are really good), not centered also in to put in the screen corny moments or have recognized actors to win more money. Maybe that will disappoint to some spectators, which want see a great action movie, vampires in love, incredible magicians, and characters that will do the impossible in the name of the humanity. Here are real kids, playing the wrong game, trying to go back home.
Obviously, the purists will say that the director doesn't take too much time to show the characters histories or what are they thinking, that the camera sometimes it's so frenetic that you can't see the whole action, there's not much blood or explosions, that all happens too fast. But precisely, that the great achievement of the film: put in 2 and a half hours, all that happens in the book, not taking too much time in some innecesary details, not trying to understand when the world fell down in this madness or why Cinna wants to protect a stranger girl. All pieces are in the correct place, the tension don't decline and the rest comes from the spectator: maybe reading the books, maybe taking the time to see how far are we from those childs, maybe just submitting of what they are seeing.
Just want to add something else: the art direction is impeccable, the music is fantastic, some actors really surprised me (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, the fantastic Stanley Tucci and his madness smile, etc.) and the director really knows how to drive this big machine.
Mention apart to Wes Bentley, representing Seneca Crane: how far are the actual show directors from him?.
My advice is if you read the book, go to see the movie. If you don't read the book, also go to see the movie, but if you can, read the book: they are perfect complements.
_____
P.D.: Sorry for my English, but my native language is Spanish.