This review does NOT have spoilers.

Title: The Hunger Games. Based off the 2008 novel by Suzanne Collins that I and the rest of the world loved. I was very excited about this entire movie because it seemed great, even better than most film adaptations.

Tagline: “The World Will Be Watching.” I liked this tagline a lot, because the marketing campaign of the film was aimed at advertising the “74th Hunger Games.” I also thought it sounded cool.

Rating (MPAA): PG-13. While many people were very worried about this rating, I didn’t see very much that was cut out in way of violence. The Hunger Games are just violent, and very few movies get that rating for just violence. Usually there’s another element that gets the R rating.

Runtime: 220 minutes. I was very conflicted about the length of the movie. Because of the way that the movie is shot, you never get a clear view of anything, so it seems to be moving faster than it would normally. Even though most things in the film were explored and it was a full movie, it might have been a tad bit too short. Another ten minutes would have been no problem; time flew by while watching this movie.

Cast: Very Large. This movie is wonderfully cast. Whatever doubts anyone had about the leads or any other characters should have been dashed from the very start of the movie. Every acting part was phenomenal, from Jennifer Lawrence’s stellar performance as Katniss to Elizabeth Banks’ delightfully awkward Effie Trinket. There were no weak links in the acting chain and even though many of the actors were new, they all did very well for what screentime was given. The adult Capitol citizens, as well as President Snow (fully deserving of his extra scenes), and Haymitch, all stood out. FYI: Liam Hemsworth is not a lead character in this film. He gets maybe ten minutes of screentime and not so many lines; we only see him for about ten seconds in the time after Katniss leaves District 12. I quite liked it this way.

Director: Gary Ross. Mr. Ross took an interesting approach in directing the film, the style of shooting a cross between a documentary, a YouTube video and an ADHD kid running around with a Flip video camera. The cameras were very high quality, but the quick jump cuts and frenzied motion caused an aura of chaos slightly dimmed in the Capitol, but heightened in the fight scenes where you can’t tell what is going on. While jarring for some, the editing takes the viewer and shoves them into the bizarre, twisted world of the Games, where anything can and will happen. It never slows down and lets you settle in a way that I have never seen used for a whole entire movie before. Even though I mostly talked about the cinematography, I loved the direction and felt it stayed true to the books.

Screenplay: Gary Ross, with plenty of help from Suzanne Collins (author of the series). I liked the screenplay. The dialogue was quick, there were plenty of funny lines (mostly coming from Haymitch and Effie), and while feeling a bit brisk at times, got its job done. There wasn’t much dialogue that was supposed to be dramatic but made you laugh like the occasional line in the Harry Potter films (“HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!!!!!”), and it all sounded in-character. The sad part is that all the cuts were the little things, as the plotline is pretty much the same as the book’s. Of course, many scenes were cut because they would be complicated to explain on screen, or wouldn’t look very good. A noticeable difference is that there are few scenes showing the physical difficulties of the games like hunger, thirst, etc. After plenty of that in the novel, it was a strange thing for the film to lack. Even as I was being dizzied by the fact that yes, you can shove an entire book into a movie, I ached for the little things: lamb stew, the tiny orange backpack, the dried-up river. I for one thought the scenes outside the Games were going to be terrible, but they took them and made them awesome. My favorites were President Snow in the rose garden.

Special Effects: Addie Manis (Visual Effects Producer), and a bunch of other people. Depending on the competition this year, The Hunger Games may get nominated for an Oscar in visual effects or art direction. I won’t be holding my breath. The budget did seem a little strained and while the fire was great, the fire on the costumes and the mutts were actually a little bit lacking (maybe even the weak part of the film). However, there were some awesome explosions in there, and the train was quite cool.

Costumes: Bill Edwards (Key Costumer). I loved the costumes. Some people found them underwhelming, but I thought they were cool. District 12 was pretty 1930’s Depression-esque, with faded colors and clothes. The Capitol, while not as garish as I imagined, had plenty of weird stuff going on, especially in the hair and eyelashes. The people there did not look normal to say the least. I felt like the Tribute costumes were good, but Katniss’ dresses… I almost expected more. That was just me, though. Also, I loved Effie’s outfits. They were crazy.

Sets: George R. Lee. Mr. Lee, you did a great job. The sets looked different from what I imagined, but they felt right. They felt like they should have felt, which was good. Each place was pretty distinct and had its own “feel.” Some elements were quite weird (the Cornucopia, for one), but they were good. I really liked the design for District 12: rundown and real.

Score: James Newton Howard. I loved the score. It was present, but almost quietly so, just as a score should be. It added suspense and drama in just the right places, strongly evoking the mood needed for the tense scenes of the novel. I feel like it will be something I’ll hear more and more as I listen to it again (which I can do in just two days!). Honestly, it was the first movie score I would consider buying. Also, I would like to say that I enjoyed the companion album, which I have heard quite a few songs from. Totally worth a listen, especially if you like Taylor Swift. “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” and “Come Away to the Water” are some of my favorites.

In All: One of my favorite book-to-film adaptations. Okay, in my top ten. It works not only as its own movie but also as an adaptation, has excellent reviews, and really captures the spirit of the book. I would love to see it again already. Even if it is a bit rushed at times, the movie captures the book and despite the changes, manages to communicate its message. The acting is superb, the directing and camera work artsy enough for awards season, and, in all, a great start to a great series.

Bonus! Oscar Predictions: I am in no way qualified to predict this, but I imagine Lionsgate is going to push for at least one Oscar. The Academy knows Jennifer Lawrence, and the studio will at least try to get her in the Best Actress category. They’ll also probably be nominated in Best Makeup and (if the Hobbit movie doesn’t sweep) might just win, as well as possibly cinematography (it’s kind of edgy), and maybe someone will eke out a Supporting Actor nomination. Even if they don’t win any Oscars, The Hunger Games will probably get some other major award. May the odds be ever in their favor.