doesn't translate well to film

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2012)

I really liked the book, and because of that, I was able to enjoy seeing this movie in the theater. But this movie is way too rushed, and isn't able to stand very well on its own. In trying to please the fans by remaining faithful to the book's plot, they had to gut it of all character development. We only see a few brief moments of Katniss & Prim together before the lottery scene. There is no way to know the full extent of their relationship without reading the book. And because of that, the emotional impact of her friendship with Rue is lost as well. Likewise, there is next to nothing about Gale. The heart & soul of the book was in Katniss's thoughts, trying to overcome the emotional turmoil to survive in the arena, but all we really get in the movie is the arena...and only a summary at that.