At last, a first class adaptation of a first class book.

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2012)

I have always thought that The Hunger Games was a very good book with a lean and powerful way of conveying the plot. The film has a lean and powerful way with showing this. Going beyond strict adherence to the book it translates the story into a cracking cinema experience. The director got first class performances out of his cast, his vision of the books was spot on and I really did not notice the 'shaky-cam' camera work. I also have to commend the wardrobe dept, the fashions of the Capitol were truly bizarre and Katniss and Peeta's 'Fire Costumes' were just right. I in fact thought the red interview dress was better than the one described in the book. The killings in the arena were brutal and tragic. The death of Rue was just as heart wrenching as the book and I thought Jennifer Lawrence wonderfully conveyed her dilemma over her feelings or Peeta. I also really enjoyed Josh Hutcherson's portrayal of Peeta. He was great in a very difficult role to pull off well. On re-reading some of the reviews I find it so amazing that some people are still trying to say that Collins 'ripped-off' an obscure Japanese film that was never released in the US till after this film was in the cinemas. I just find it so difficult to believe that she 'stole' ideas from a film that never played in her country. It's just so hard to steal ideas that you don't know were made, and did the fact that Takami seems to have 'stolen' his idea for 'Battle Royale' book from a previously published book called 'The Knights of the Forty Islands' count as a rip-off' as well?