The Hunger Games Movie Review; what was your experience?

It is exactly 3 AM in the morning that I am starting this review. I must say that I'm still brimming with energy however, as the images from the Hunger Games movie are still swimming in my head. Yes, I am one of those rare people who was crazy enough and brave enough to attend the midnight showing; I went to The Rave (I believe) in Kensington with some friends and the theater was packed two hours before the movie was scheduled to start. There was a surprisingly good mix of young men and women, with about 99% of the girls dressed as Katniss Everdeen. My friend and I were the only two dressed as Capitol citizens (I'll explain my choice in a minute). Overall, the movie was great. As an avid fan of the Hunger Games Series, despite high expectations I left well satisfied. The filmmakers found the perfect balance between details neccessary to the story, and those pleasurable details that are only found either in the book itself, or in a movie that exceeds four hours. The plot was fast-paced, with great tension and action. My only complaint in that department is that at times (and especially the beginning of the movie) the camera shots were shaky, and often time the cuts were so close together that it was a bit confusing to follow. Additionally I wished that they had put more of an emphasis on the lavish lifestyle of the Capitol! That being said, the actors and actresses chosen for the movie were perfect; they fit the characters as they were described in the books to a T. Overall, the movie followed the plot perfectly, but stood out well enough on its own that those who haven't read the book will still be able to understand and enjoy the film adaptation. Now, this is all fair and good as a shallow interpretation alone, but to be frank I was at times uncomfortable with watching this movie; which is why I did it on condition that I dress up as a Capitol citizen. *possible spoilers ahead* While the books are set in a post-apocalyptic future, it's not hard to see that it is a reality we face now; the book serves as a perfect model of a very affluent culture that is served and entertained by more impoverished groups of people. First versus third world countries anyone? Additionally, we live in a entertainment saturated culture brimming with violence: what we see every day on TV is vastly different from what TV was like ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. Therefore I hope I wasn't the only one to catch the slight irony/hypocrisy of paying to see a movie that means to entertain the audience through displays of violence, just as the Hunger Games themselves serve to entertain and captivate the Capitol citizens by sensationalizing the deaths of young people. That being said, enjoy this movie but with a grain of salt; sensationalism does not substantiate principle. Goodnight friends, and may the odds be ever in your favor.