I want to start out with the only complaint I had, because it's kind of a pet peeve of mine, and it was compounded by the fact that we were sitting in the very front, basically looking UP at the screen. Probably about 25-35% of the movie is shot in the "handheld" style. You know the one. Shaky camera, awkward close-ups, action shots where it looks like a bunch of blurs. The first fifteen or twenty minutes were exclusively shot this way, because they wanted District 12 to feel wild and unpredictable I'm sure, but it lent itself to dizzying and often unflattering shots of Katniss, Gale, and Prim, and was just frustrating for us. 

The scene where the tributes start the Hunger Games, where they run off the platforms toward the cornucopia? Also shot in the same way. Katniss was nearly killed and then ran right into Foxface in the woods, but we had to rely on dialogue and the occasional still shot to glean that.

The later scene where she and Clove wrestle at the "feast" was even more frustrating, because both girls are brunette with similar complexions. There was about two minutes of shaky flipping and grunting until it was revealed that Clove had pinned down Katniss. And then at the end, when Peeta and Katniss encounter Cato on the cornucopia, was shot in the same way up until Cato caught Peeta. 

It's grating because you can't commit to a style for a certain "feeling" and then use that same style intermittently through the movie. I understand using it for District 12 (every time they went back to it, and even the shots in 11, it was in the handheld style) but there were times when steadier shots and even overview shots would've made a big difference. The obvious example is when they're all running from their platforms--an overhead/birds-eye shot of the tributes scattering in all directions through the clearing would've been GORGEOUS. The Katniss-Peeta-Cato fight on the cornucopia would've benefited greatly from a few more overhead shots.

But chances are, I'm going back sometimes this week to see it again, and I'm gonna make sure I sit up further in the theater. Maybe it's not so bad when you're not looking straight up at it. 

The other thing that was weird to me was the strange scoring, or... lack thereof. The gorgeous four-note trill between Katniss and Rue doesn't make up for the long stretches of movie where the music was conspicuously absent. The most notable was during the Reaping, the entire thing is unscored. Effie titters and simpers and announces Prim, there is a solid minute of reaction shots, then Katniss volunteers. Not one note of music! Normally this isn't stuff I notice until, like, the four hundredth viewing of a movie, but that scene seemed so strange without music to heighten the emotion. It was probably a stylistic decision on the part of the director (I have a hard time believing a composer worth their salt would've left that scene silent) but it didn't sit well with me. 

Other than that, I have to say, this movie was probably my favorite book-to-movie adaptation of the recent YA crop we've been dealt. Yes, even including the Harry Potters. Part of that is because the book was basically written like a movie in the first place, but it was also properly paced, well-acted, well-written, and handled the overall theme of the book effectively. The changes they made (such as the origination of the Mockingjay pin) were negligible. 

Highlights!

+ Cinna was just as awesome as I'd hoped he'd be. Lenny Kravitz played him wonderfully, properly understated and calculating. 

+ Our entire theater awwwwwwwed at Rue every time she was onscreen, and for good reason--that girl is GOOD. She is adorable and had better chemistry with Jennifer than the girl who played Prim. There was not a dry eye in the theater when she died, and that scene was done beautifully as well. I had tears running down my face for probably ten minutes, what with the singing, the flowers, the salute to the district that Katniss did, and the resulting riots. THAT is an Oscar-worthy sequence.

+ I had a strong attachment to Thresh when I read the book, and my attachment to him was even stronger in the movie. I liked his soft spot for Rue, and the look he gave Katniss when he let her have a break. When the cannon went off for him, the whole theater lamented. 

+ The director/editor made the curious decision to show reaction shots from Gale every time there was a romantic scene between Katniss and Peeta. I'm not sure if they were going for rampant laughter, but the theater burst out laughing every time Liam Hemsworth attempted to emote his jealousy or... whatever it was Gale was supposed to be feeling. 

+ The costuming for the Capitol was very well done (Tim Burton would've had a field day but the costume department showed an amazing sense of restraint even among the luxuries) and the simple gold eyeshadow on Cinna contrasted beautifully with Effie's over-the-top outfits. I also really liked Haymitch's costuming. I was less enthused with the weird 1950's vibe they went for in the Districts, but I see what they were trying to do. And the only misstep they had was that horrible pale yellow dress Katniss wore at the end of the movie. 

+ Haymitch! I was one of those people who thought Hugh Laurie would've made the perfect Haymitch, but Woody Harrelson did an amazing job! My favorite role of his since he played Tallahassee in Zombieland, no lie. 

+ Elizabeth Banks has always been grating to me, but she seemed to have SO MUCH FUN playing Effie that it was infectious. She delivered her lines with perfect aplomb, properly overreacted, and was seemingly oblivious just like in the book. It was delightful to watch her, she added some much needed comic relief. 

+ I am glad to say that all of my reservations about Jennifer Lawrence's acting are gone. She WAS really bad in X-Men: First Class but she did Katniss justice. I still don't get why they couldn't cast a skinnier girl. She's not fat, but Katniss was supposed to be borderline malnourished. 

+ I also liked Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. HIS FACE. (Hubs leaned over halfway through the movie and said "He looks like Mr. Incredible." Now I can't unsee it.)

I haven't decided whether I'm going to see Catching Fire. I'm curious about how they'll depict the new arena, with the moving island, blistering gas, and jabberjays, but I'm less enthused about the character assassination Collins began to employ in that book. SIGH. I'll wait and see. I will NOT be seeing Mockingjay, though.