The Hunger Games has made itself truly significant. It’s not because of all the merchandising and hype, which is occurring between the two releases of Breaking Dawn, the latest in the Twilight franchise. And not because it’s the third largest opening weekend after Dark Knight and Deathly Hallows. It’s because, unlike these other films, all this fuss is over an liberated, butt-kicking girl. Hermione the sidekick and Bella the clinger have nothing on Katniss. And this film’s immediate success is sending the world a message—that nonwhite main characters and a steady, self-sufficient teen heroine can rule the screen. It’s not all about Harry Potter anymore.

                    Adapting book to movie made all the emotions more present and poignant, particularly the youth and helplessness of all the tributes brutally killed at the cornucopia—It’s no wonder Haymitch calls it a bloodbath. The career tributes feel more menacing and callous in the movie, filled with inhuman glee at the murders they commit.  For anyone who’s encountered teen bullies, this is all too believable. Cato, of course, has a new character arc as he repents his murders and realizes he’s been the Capitol’s pawn, as they all have. It’s a reasonable moment, though some viewers have missed that Cato and the others aren’t supposed to be the supervillains—understated President Snow is. The graphic violence of Cato’s death and the grotesque mutts-as-Tributes are toned down for the movie, but still sufficiently scary.

Comedian Nate Williams interviews New Yorkers at the opening night screening of The Hunger Games movie.

Have noticed that one of the featured articles on the home page of Yahoo has something to do with the racial controversy over The Hunger Games?

The frenzy has focused on three characters in particular: Rue (Amandla Sternberg) and Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi), the child tributes from District 11, as well as Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), the stylist assigned to Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the movie’s archer-heroine. In a curious twist of reading comprehension failure and racism, a few tweets have made the public rounds:

Reel Reactions’ Omri Rolan interviewed fans at AMC Loews Boston Common 19 to find out their reaction to the movie.

Follow @Omri_Rawrlan on Twitter!

Before Lionsgate announced the official cast for The Hunger Games film, fans were very vocal about their favorites on who should play the characters in the movie.

The Hunger Games sequel Cacthing Fire will be released on November 2013. Do you have any casting suggestions for the following characters? Let us know in the comments section below.

Finnick Odair — The male tribute from District 4

Mags — The female tribute from District 4

Johanna Mason — The female tribute from District 7

Beetee — The male tribute from District 3

Wiress — The female tribute from District 3

Enobaria — The female tribute from District 2