Action-filled thriller The Hunger Games opened in theaters Friday, March 23, bringing in $155 million by the end of opening weekend. Despite minor plot changes, filmmakers captured the significant parts of the story and added a splash of their own imagination, resulting in a captivating and blood pumping story. The perfect combination of romance, bloodshed, and passion were outstandingly embodied by an all-star cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Woody Harrelson. Unlike the typical movie interpretation, The Hunger Games satisfied, and even surpassed, the expectations of fans.

The Hunger Games movie fanatics express their opinions on the film.

What did you think about the cast? Did it resemble what you had imagined it to be like?

“My favorite casting was Cinna, even if I pictured the character looking differently,” junior Autumn McArthur said. “Lenny Kravitz did a spectacular job of portraying the understated, quiet quality of Cinna.”

Specific details present in the book were removed in the making of the movie. Did you feel that these small changes hurt the plot?

“In the books Peeta loves Katniss but she does not feel the same,” senior Lindsay Bartlett said. “I wish that [would have been] a little more clear.”

What is your favorite part of the movie and why?

“My favorite part was at the end when Peeta and Katniss decide to eat the poisonous berries because they did not want to win without each other,” senior Allison Nichols said. “They never talk about how much they care about each other, but them deciding to [eat the berries] shows that they really cannot live without each other.”

How did you think the action scenes in the book are displayed in the movie?

“To be honest, I thought it was too intense and violent,” senior Paige Yelich said. “I just pray that this movie is the farthest thing from a future reality.”

The Hunger Games was first published Sept. 14, 2008. Fans who read the book a while back feel as if its sudden rise to popularity turned it from a piece of literature to a cultural bandwagon. What is your take on this?

“I find the whole community feel of the fandom really appealing,” McArthur said. “It is no fun to discover piece of pop culture that is truly amazing and have no one to talk to or share it with, especially since it is such a thought-provoking story line.”

Catching Fire, the second movie in the trilogy comes out late next year. How do you think you will deal with the wait?

“The Hunger Games was so good that I cannot wait to see if Catching Fire is as good or better,” freshman Andrea Brunal said. “I will definitely re-read [Catching Fire], keep track of how far they are into the filming process, and watch over movies as well, but it will be hard.”

Do you think that The Hunger Games could become a reality someday, such as in ancient Rome?

“Even though it already has, I think it will not because people learn from their mistakes,” junior Brooke James said. “At least I hope it does not happen again.”

There was a lot of criticism regarding Jennifer Lawrence’s weight and how she did not look “hungry enough” for the role in the movie. What is your take on this?

“I agree [since] in the book Collins focuses strongly on how Katniss struggles to find food and water, whereas in the movie it was as if she had few problems surviving,” junior Taylor Leiby said. “The author also included descriptive details about her protruding ribs as a result of not eating in days, yet in the movie this was not obvious at all.”

If you could change one thing about the plot, what would it be?

“Cato was not big enough, in my opinion,” senior Samantha Russell said. “He is supposed to be huge and strong yet the guy in the movie was of a normal size.”

What other comment do you have on the movie?

“Going into the movie I felt that there was no way that the movie could possibly measure up to the book, but I was pleasantly surprised,” said junior Melanie French. “The combination of the book and the movie is life changing.”