Decent Action Flick for the uninitiated; So-so for Novel fans

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2012)

Finally got to see this today, and I have some notes.
Jennifer Lawrence IS Katniss. I think we can all agree on that. I am not as certain about the Gale/Peeta castings, though that isn't either of the respective actors' fault. It was more a casualty of the film's overly frantic pace, and relative lack of conscious highs and lows. Part of drama, especially one with such great source material as Ms Collins' novels, is knowing when to linger, and when to pull away. It is through this that gestures and plot points gain significance and meaning to both characters and audience.
Perhaps it is due to editing, or certain directorial choices, or it was just written that way, but the film was very (and I hate to say it), Micheal Bay-esque in certain spots. The mockingjay pin, Katniss volunteering to be the tribute in Prim's place, the three finger salute, the loaves of bread from Peeta, the fiery costumes at the tribute parade, Rue's death; it all fell a little flat and could have used more fleshing out (note that list included almost everything important in the film).
The violence was very well handled considering the PG-13 rating, and I felt to an extent, that the juxtaposition between the queens of the Capital and the people in the districts evoked the slaves in the Colosseum/Roman empire imagery of the novel.
The opening sequence should have been re-worked. Given that the same information appears much more effectively in the propaganda video about the Games, and the conversation between Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman doesn't add to the film (as delightful as Stanley Tucci is), it left me a little cold. Everyone knows there will likely be 2 more films, so structurally, there was a bit more leeway for exposition and characterization in this first one, but the opportunity was largely wasted.
After all that, you would expect this to be a negative review. It isn't. Not because I don't think the film has its faults, but because once you've read the books, you know Rome wasn't built in a day. Panem and its inhabitants are already known to you, and you can fill in the blanks. If, on the other hand, you haven't read the books, the film is a decent action movie with added social commentary, and some very pretty people. Either way, you can't go wrong.
May the odds be ever in your favor.