After hearing mixed reviews, I held off from watchign this for a long time until last night. And i have to say i was quite pleasantly surprised by it. I kept thinking about BR at the start but after awhile i was totally absorbed by the story. I really like the character Katniss, and i didn't realize the actress was also the lead in winter bone, she was amazing in it - and the male lead was great as a love conflict. But i just wish my active imagination wasn't so intruding during the show. I kept thinking Peter was playing Katniss to gain her trust before doing something dodgy. As it turns out, the story is as predictable as it gets but that's not necessarily a bad thing if done properly.

There were few things i didn;t really like - the shakecam imo was over-done to a point where i felt a little uncomfortable. But there were times it was used to great effect like during violence scenes. The film felt a bit draggy at times but i suppose its meant to be faithful to the book ?

Rip off or not, i thought it held its own. It had good characters and the performances were also quite good.

If Ross didn't sign up for the sequel i say give the reign to Matt Reeves. I think this kind of film is tailor made for someone of his caliber.

Thanks for clarifying some of my concerns. I might look up the book and give it a whirl. It looks like the book is way superior than hte film - which often is the case.