The Hunger Games Left Me Breathless

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2012)

Just a bit of background: I have been a die-hard Hunger Games fan for over two years. I have been watching this movie's progress ever since they announced that they would be making one.
And this movie blew my expectations out of the water. It was absolutely fantastic!
The acting was brilliant (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson absolutely shine - in particular Lawrence! There is not a second in the entire movie where she does not completely embody Katniss.) The special effects were amazing. I was on the edge of my seat right from the reaping. The movie plot was identical to that of the book and the way they explained everything was very well thought out. (In fact, this was one of the things I was the most apprehensive about prior to seeing it. Because the book revolved around Katniss' thought process, I was afraid it would not translate well into a film. However, it was all very smooth, using Caesar Flickerman and the Gamemaker's room to explain what was going on.) Everything was very professional and so real. Costumes were fabulous, the sets were fabulous. Everything was perfect.
There were two minor things I did not like. First was the shaky camera at the beginning. It was part of the effects and becomes smoother once Peeta and Katniss head to the Capitol, but the first twenty minutes it is very hard to focus on the content because of the shaky camera. The only other thing I didn't like was the fact that Katniss never actually told Peeta that she wasn't in love with him. I feel like those who never read the book might not understand that Katniss thought their relationship was fake whereas Peeta is actually totally smitten with her. This was implied but I felt they could have gone deeper and explained it better.
I would not advise younger, less mature audiences to watch this movie however. It is very brutal, bloody and violent. For example, both main characters injure their legs severely and the wounds are extensively shown. However, if you can take the gore, I would advise that you immediately drive to the closest theatre and buy a ticket. You will not regret it - in fact, it will leave you hungry for more Hunger Games.
10/10