It is rare that a book’s author co-authors the screenplay of your tome but Suzanne Collins does just that in adapting the first part of her trilogy of books based on a dystopian world.

The Hunger Games is the first of the books and is considered to be the next Harry Potter and Twilight mega literary film franchise.

And director Gary Ross doesn’t disappoint in offering a fairly faithful adaptation. the basic premise is that an uprising has happened in North America but the revolters lost and North America became Panem and divided into 13 districts under the rule of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). To keep the citizens in line each year they hold the Hunger Games (May the Odd always be in your favour) where one male and one female between the ages of 12-18 are selecteFor the 74th Hunger Games the film’s heroine Katniss Everdeen’s sister Prim (Willow Shields) is chosen on her first try but Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her place and the male of her district which is 12 is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) the baker’s son. The tributes of District 12 is under the tutelage of Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), the only winner that comes from District 12.

What I really like about The Hunger Games is the sense of tension that is created as the Games are played. You feel just as nervous as Katniss as she waits for the Games to start and even though I know what happens at the end you are worried for her.

Ross doesn’t shy away from the violence of the Games even when it involved 12-year olds. It is brutal in its violence and no one is safe. And some things happen in Hunger Games that set-up the next film, which would be Catching Fire.

When I heard that they were making a movie of The Hunger Games, I had ideas who I wanted to play the leads roles of Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and Effie (Elizabeth Banks). But I thought everyone did a good job, Jennifer Lawrence manages to capture the vulnerability of Katniss as well as her defiance very well and Hutcherson does capture Peeta’s charm and he and Lawrence share a good chemistry. Harrelson was great has Haymitch and did a good job in his character’s drunkeness but also the seriousness in keeping his tributes alive and Banks was appropriately creepily cheerful as Effie and Sutherland was wonderful sinister as President Snow. I also liked Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. People thought it was strange that he got cast but when I hear that he was playing Cinna, who is Katniss dresser for the Games, I thought he was perfect.

One of the fears that I had for The Hunger Games trilogy is that Collins’ and thus the films were setting up another Twilight situation where the heroine, in this case Katniss, has to choose between two suitors, in this case Peeta or Gale (Liam Hemsworth). Tthe limited screen time that Gale had really hinted at the fact that he was jealous of the pretend love story happening between Peeta and Katniss. But unlike Twilight this choice is not the main premise of the Hunger Games novel.

One of the disadvantages that The Hunger Games had as oppose to Harry Potter is that I’ve read all three books and know the fate of everybody so I am not surprised at anything that happened in the film. But that can be advantage for film makers as they can hint at future books in the first film. The Harry Potter film makers didn’t really have that luxury as when the first movie came out only Goblet of Fire was out and that was the 4th book in a 7 book franchise. When Chamber of Secrets came out there was one hint that was in the 4th book and that was the Ron and Hermione romance. But they caught a break when Order of the Phoenix came out as all the books were out and the film makers could start hinting at stuff in the future books.

Anyways, with the box office success of The Hunger Games it is guaranteed that we will see the rest of the books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay will be made. I just hope the rumours of breaking Mockingjay into two movies proves false as that book isn’t that long and doesn’t need to be broken into two. But I do look forward to seeing Katniss and company on screen again.