An Excellent Book-to-Film Adaptation

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2016)

I am always wary when I hear that one of my favorite novels is finally being made into a feature film. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this book translated to the big screen. Although many of the finer points and nuances in the book had to be skimmed over or removed, I didn't think that detracted from the bold ideas of the story or the detailed nature of the characters.
The casting was spot-on, in my opinion. Although Wood Harrelson is not usually one of my favorite actors, I think he did an excellent job in the role of Haymitch. The rest of the cast was perfect, with the standout, of course, being Jennifer Lawrence. Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket was genius casting. Banks took a character that begins a bit two-dimensionally in the novel and transformed her into something effervescent yet heartbreaking that burst from the screen. She became my personal favorite through the film (and the films that followed).
There are sweeping statements that could be made about this movie's critique of society and commentary of the state of human nature, the nature of politics, and life in general. Those are very obvious from even the dust jacket of the book, and even the first few minutes of the film. I won't attempt to expound upon that here. Take the movie as an action-filled fun-fest or as an in-depth treatise on the decline of American society. It's equally enjoyable as both. Also, I found it best to watch the movie after reading the book first. I'm always hesitant to recommend that as it usually leads to disappointment knowing what could have been. In this case, it adds enjoyment being able to fill in some blanks and mentally add back in some omitted details and subplots.
This movie and it's sequels are some of the best I've seen in the genre. Highly recommended.