Fantastic review! I'm so glad you brought up Katniss's flashback at the very beginning. You're so right: that said it all. The film did that over and over again, I thought. It offered succinct but powerful visual images that conveyed a great deal. (The glimpses of the graffiti from the train are another example.)

Speaking of Johanna, the audience in my theater broke into spontaneous applause at her bleeped-out response to Caesar Flickerman's questions. :D Very effective.

I'm glad you noted Mags and relationship between Beetee and Wiress, too. So, so good!