The Girl on Fire” has set the movie world on fire as well, with The Hunger Games’ box office conquest leaving every Twilight movie among the list of slain. Book fans and Hunger Games greenhorns alike can enjoy the movie’s fast-paced action and riveting imagery, but the vibrant personalities present in the book will be sorely missed.

Set in the dystopian remains of North America, the Hunger Games are put on annually by a totalitarian Capitol. 24 teenagers must fight to the death until only one remains, with every second captured on live-action TV. When Katniss Everdeen from the impoverished District 12 volunteers in place of her sister, she finds herself embroiled in the brutality and one third of a shaky love triangle. Beauty-pageant-style interviews help sponsors judge the children’s charm on top of their killing ability. As the boom of a cannon signals yet another fallen contestant, tension in the arena builds, and Katniss must employ every survival instinct in her arsenal in order to reach home again, yet still retain her sense of humanity.

Focused and suspenseful, the movie buzzes with energy. The pacing is set on survival mode in the arena; no scene lingers for long. In some ways, this acts against the movie, as moments that are supposed to be charged with tension (the three-finger salute, the flaming entrance) don’t live up to their full potential. However, combined with fantastic sets and creative effects such as the muted Cornucopia match, the movie boasts solid action and suspense.

As the much-awaited movie installation of a best-selling novel, The Hunger Games cleaves as closely to the book as the 2 hour and 20 minute run time will allow. In some cases, the detached perspective even lends its own touch. Director Gary Ross uses sci-fi-ish special effects to bring out the behind-the-scenes of the games: the control room, where technicians project beasts directly from a sterile panel to the domed arena. Added moments with Game Master Seneca Crane and President Snow provide chilling but welcome political context to the world of Panem. However, the one-dimensional characters suffer in the translation to the big screen. Katniss and Peeta’s layered, crossed-over, and rewritten relationship shaves down to a weak romance, with glimpses of Gale as the third wheel posing more as comic relief than anything else.

As far as casting goes, Jennifer Lawrence is the biggest catch of the lot. Her chiseled and steadfast steeliness appears striking and embodies the spirit of Katniss without flaw. Josh Hutcherson’s rendition of Peeta Mallark is sweet but brings none of the survivor’s toughness to the screen. Other supporting characters such as Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson breathe life into their characters, with the costume choices helping to create the laughable personalities that the book intended.

However, a distracting factor of The Hunger Games is the shaky and restless camerawork. The filming may have saved the movie from ratcheting up to an R rating, as most violent situations are skimmed over, but in still and peaceful scenes, the many flitting close-ups make it hard for viewers to place their eyes on anything.

But in the end, none of this will matter to the growing mass of Hunger Games-obsessed fans. If you have been able to contain yourself long enough to refrain from watching it on opening day, The Hunger Games should be your top priority movie over spring break and will take up a satisfying two-and-a-half hours. Get ready for the movie’s continued domination of box offices in following weeks. The Games are on.