Oh: one of the things I liked the absolute least about the movie were the hand-to-hand combat scenes. WTF was up with the filming of that? Worst fight direction. Ever.

My group was a little older...someone else was the pre-teen crowd. We all laughed at the Gale cut-aways.

So did we, Debet.

I think what I have reconciled is that I really liked seeing a book I enjoyed on screen. Generally speaking, many parts of the film were close enough to my mental image that I did not experience much dissonance. I found, on that level, that I really liked the film. However, as someone who read the book, I am not sure I think this movie stands alone. It is always true that movies lose some subtlety in adaptation, but I feel like too much subtlety was lost.

I agree with this completely.

Beau didn't really come away from the film understanding the story the way most of us do.

Also, this. I was basically surrounded by young critics who hadn't read the books and the story they saw was very different than the one I did. I think that was why I was a bit bummed, because I hadn't seen reviews or box office yet and I really wanted the movie to do well so we'd get the others.

Now, I am usually very sensitive to these things, but I read Peeta's "watched you walk home every day" thing as watching from the step of the school which we were both leaving at approximately the same time with many other people around kind of thing, rather than a "followed you for blocks", which strikes me as less creepy and aggressive.

I admit that I'm kind of confused about people being confused about the stuff that's below the surface layer of the movie. But, I have that experience a lot.

That's how I interpreted it too, Debet, although it still had that creeper vibe anyway. Heh.

I hadn't seen reviews or box office yet and I really wanted the movie to do well so we'd get the others.

Well, no worries on that front now. Heh.

A friend of mine just asked whether she should see before reading, and I recommended she read first.

I have now seen the movie, and I really liked it. My biggest issue wasn't very big--I don't think Peeta looked right. He acted just fine, though, so it's a shallow issue. But he didn't look like the baker's son to me. And, on a flip side, Gale was a bit too big and conventionally hunky.

However--the movie got me when it was supposed to get me--I felt the sibling protectiveness, the civic unrest, the struggle to live.

The people I saw it with who hadn't read the books seemed to get everything that was important. I don't think there was any loss for them because of unfamiliarity with the book.

We saw the 9:40am screening, and the room was pretty full, and also pretty old.

Everything is Better with Seneca’s Beard from The Hunger Games.

I find it rather amazing that that's the actor's actual facial hair.

no way. really?