So I kinda hated these books, right, and I figured — well, sometimes books with bad writing can be redeemed if they’re translated to another medium, because you keep the cool concepts ‘n’ action while losing the clunky prose. (The Last of the Mohicans is a prime example here.)

But in fact, this movie is worse than the book. The problem here is that Catnip is supposed to be the awesomest person ever, and her charisma is supposed to make everyone love her and the flame thing is supposed to be so incredibly dramatic and amazing and all that. And in the book, you can sort of buy this because it’s being narrated, but on the screen, you have to actually see her being super-charismatic and amazing.

And so the makers of this movie went with a really weird flat affect for everything, and there’s no soaring musical score or what-not, and so the scene where she wows everyone in an interview consists of Jennifer Lawrence being awkward and giving a few one-word answers, and then spinning awkwardly while CGI happens around the hem of her dress.

It is embarrassingly unconvincing, and it takes one of the few plausible elements of the book and makes it implausible — which just serves to drive home how ridiculous the premise of the book, and everything in it, is.

If you liked the book, I feel like the movie will still be a disappointment, but can’t really say. If you did not like the book, it is exceedingly unlikely that the movie will redeem it for you.