They missed on the adaptation

Rating: 6/10 (26 March 2012)

I will try to keep the words to a minimum and points to the maximum. I have read all three books. I am not a kid.
With that established, I have read countless well written reviews on this site and have to reiterate, that the adaptation IS NOT GOOD. When you see much larger (page count) books adapted so well (Potter's, LOTR, Dragon Tattoo) you know it can be done, without compromising detail, character development and story.
Those that said this movie presents like a "Cliff Note" version are dead on. I kept finding myself looking at my wife as we would acknowledge to each other the back story we knew, almost like an inside joke (that's not good).
And for Pete's sake, I can't be in the yard for more than 10 minutes without being filthy, and these kids are in the woods fighting for their lives for days (we think.... but who knows.... it's weeks in the book) and they are barely disheveled? Come on, that's just lazy film making.
And other reviewers are not lying when they say that the small budget came through in the visual presentation (cornucopia, fire suits, hover craft, to name a few).
I'm sorry but I believe that Gary Ross was the wrong pick as well as Susanne Collins for co-writing the script. Look at the visual pallet and details of the film. At no point does it feel gritty, dangerous or desperate. And Ross has never done a film with those characteristics, he plays it safe and easy to digest.
As far as Collins being a mistake for the re-write. I think it was too difficult to get away from the source material to get a different view in how to present it. Once again, Peter Jackson re-worked LOTR and made it work well and Rowling didn't even try to do her scripts.
I actually had to come back and edit this to add.... the shaky camera work (that is mentioned in the other reviews) is not and exaggeration. It is TRULY that off-putting.
Well folks, they have 3 more chances. Let's hope they don't buy all the hype, and make some much needed changes. If not, they will continue to be weak, watered down versions of great source material