A fast-paced film that should be seen by all.

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2012)

I went and saw this film on opening day. It was very crowded, but people really got into select parts of the film. I think The Hunger Games is a great movie that should be seen.
First of all, the movie followed the book pretty much through and through. The first half was all about preparing for the Games, and the second half was the actual Games, which was fast-paced, action-packed, and very well done. What was cool is that they showed how the Capitol put in obstacles, like the fire. I liked the design for Katniss's bow and arrow. The first half wasn't bad, but, like the book, was a little harder to get into. I really liked how the train moved fast; that was something I couldn't quite visualize in the book. Some scenes during the first part (i.e. interviews with Katniss and Peeta) were a little slow.
Though this movie is amazing, it isn't without its flaws. This might not have been a problem with some people, but Peeta did not look as I pictured him. There were also several action scenes when the cameras zoomed in so much I could not tell what the heck was going on; whether this was intentional or accidental, I think they should have done something more about this. The music, though not terrible, wasn't exactly as I was picturing it. I did like the song for Rue's death; it was perfect, and added that extra touch to make the scene even sadder than it needed to be. It is my strong philosophy that music tells half the story, so having good music is really important for me during a film; these songs weren't bad, they just weren't good either.
All in all, The Hunger Games was not just an amazing movie, but it was fast, intense, and well done. They followed the book very well, and it helped fixate visuals from the book. On the flip side, various scenes were hard to tell what was going on, and the music, though not terrible, wasn't great. However, The Hunger Games is an incredible film that you should definitely go see, and when it comes out on DVD, buy.