“The Hunger Games,” one of the most anticipated movies of the year, came out on DVD last Friday. It earned over $214 million in the box offices worldwide. This gives the film the third highest opening weekend in history behind the Harry Potter finale and the Dark Knight, according to Reuters News.

The film is based off the novels by Suzanne Collins about a post-apocalyptic society that is split into twelve districts. Each year, one boy and one girl “tribute” from each district are put into an arena and forced to fight to the death on live television in what is called the “Hunger Games.” Katniss Everdeen, the story’s sixteen-year-old heroine, volunteers to compete in the games in the place of her twelve-year-old sister.

The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Although Lawrence is twenty one, it was not hard to believe her character is only sixteen. Expectations of her were high, especially from the book’s devoted fans. Much to their delight, she lived up to them. She portrayed the character with every bit of strength and bravery that makes Katniss such a great role model for young adults.

The film also stars Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. Both play their characters well, proving they have the acting skills to back up the good looks that no doubt helped them get the roles.

Aside from its three stars, another highlight of the film was Elizabeth Banks’ portrayal of Effie Trinket, the bubbly yet horrible woman who serves as emcee for the selection of the tributes and monitors them in the days leading up to the games. Dressed in bright pastel colors and an enormous amount of matching makeup, it is almost as if she jumped right out of the pages of the book, creating the same energetic personality and outrageous physical image that one imagines while reading it.

Other top-billed cast members include Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (the costume designer for Katniss and Peeta) and Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman (The interviewer of the tributes and commentator of the games). Both did a wonderful job of bringing energy and uniqueness to their roles.

How well did the movie follow the books, you may ask? For the most part, the film was very faithful to the books. No important plot points were changed and many significant lines were exactly as Collins had written them. As with any page-to-screen portrayal, there were a few slight differences from the book. However, they were very few and far between.

Overall, the film was very well done. To someone who watches the movie without reading the books first, the story is relatively easy to follow. However, some of the images might be a bit shocking. To someone who has read the book before watching the movie, it does not disappoint. The characters and setting are everything that one envisions while reading the story with the added liveliness that only comes from seeing it on screen. “The Hunger Games” is without a doubt the must-see movie of 2012.

The second novel in the series, “Catching Fire,” is set to release in theaters in November 2013.