Good movie, lots of tension and minimalist but high impact acting

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2012)

I did not read the book, but but know from reading other novels, things will be left out in movies, there's only so much you can portray on film; you cannot really get into the thoughts of the characters, their feelings or past experiences that make them into what they are. I thought the acting of the main actress was phenomenal; there was a lot of focus on her facial expressions which added to the somber tone of the film; it was more about the plot and acting rather than the actions scenes themselves. On a deeper note, the movie portrays the age old conflicts of the elitist and the impoverished; there is always a whole world of those lurking in poverty so vastly different from the unreachable rich people just like in today's society as is true from thousands of years ago, an age old theme that will always be popular because it is true any century you live in; on a deeper note it shows how a young girl has to be strong under adverse conditions and is self-sacrificing, brave and courageous despite adversity; the actress really showed the depth of character required by the heroine-it was easy to connect to the emotions; I got the sense she is a very strong character and this was remarkably portrayed. The hero Peeta seems a little weak in the movie especially when he gets injured; but the longing in his eyes for his true love is evident and I think accurately portrayed as it is young innocent love, not those sexy steamy romances you always see where the couple sleep with each other as soon as they meet; I think the love story was sweet and showed hope amidst the dire circumstances; the way the children killed each other was very gory but on deeper note it stands for how everyone is after each other even at the expense of their neighbour to try to get ahead in life;everyone is too literal in trying to translate the book into the movie but that will never happen; film will never be the same as reading a book where you get to hear the hero's and heroine's thoughts, feelings and plans; but without having read the book, I think it portrayed a lot of deep strong emotions; I never got the sense that it was going to be a love story so by not concentrating on the two young kids was fine with me-it is unfair to compare it to Twilight which focuses mostly on the love plot, this is more about extreme circumstances; it was shown to portray katniss as this very strong young woman fighting for her survival using the very same skills that kept her alive when hunger as prevalent; it reflects life and is a metaphor; you either rise above your circumstances and stay strong and beat the odds or you crumble under the weight of you what life hands you and perish underneath go to drugs and alcohol and perish because of it; the whole movie is metaphoric pitting rich against poor; pitting the strong willed who will survive and the weak who get shot with an arrow or better yet some ugly looking dogs; I think you need to see past the fact it may not have faithfully followed the book and enjoy the excellent acting and depth of the portrayals, I certainly did I was entranced the whole 2 1/2 hours and didn't realize it was that long; great movie I say; you feel what the actress is feeling not by dialogue but clever scenes of facial expression it captured the mood greatly; I was a little confused with the first guy she hung out with I thought they would hook up then they introduce peeta so I was bit confused there; regarding people's criticism about the loud costumes, I think they were trying to contrast the rich with the dark and somber poor who are lifeless without color compared to the rich who are vibrant and can afford anything; same is true in real life when you have no money you clothes get dirty and full of holes; when you are rich you afford designer clothes and can pamper yourself and look extreme, to the point of looking silly; it again is metaphoric and portrays the greediness of the elitists and the wasting and wanting of the have-nots and amidst it all is katniss who gives them hope....think you need to dig deep to really appreciate the film. I thought it was great!