So, I only read the Hunger Games books after I had heard that the movie was coming out. This meant that when I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago it was still pretty fresh in my mind. Now, I thoroughly enjoyed the books, especially the first one. As far as the movie goes, I'd say that I liked it but that it wasn't quite up to snuff though I rarely find movies based on books are. It's the fact that they can't always fit everything into the movie that the book gets in, and that there is always to some extent a 'sprucing things up' for the movie version. Now there were several things I enjoyed about the movie adaptation, but I'll go over the things I wish they hadn't changed/left out first.
Now, I'm sure it's needless to say that there will be some spoilers, but I'm put the warning up anyway. If you haven't read the books or seen the movie I would recommend not reading this blog as it will contain spoilers for both. This doesn't limit itself to just the first book either as I may address a few things that happen in the later books in how the changes in the movie effect it.
The change I think I hated the most in the movie was how they treated Prim's character. In the books Prim always came off as just as strong as Katniss, but in a different way. She was a quiet character with a lot of emotional strength to handle situations, and in the movie they made her act almost like a whiny little sister that Katniss had to constantly reassure. She lacked that sense of strength that she had in the book, and it put me off to the movie even though she's only in the beginning part before the Hunger Games actually start.
While we're on characters I'd like to touch on Haymitch and the various mistakes I feel they made with his character. There is the first that he didn't really come off as drunk enough. In the books Haymitch is falling off the stage, pass out where he's sitting kind of drunk. In the movie he comes off like he's just always slightly buzzed. It's a continuous buzz, true,but that's as far as it ever seems to get Another thing I felt they did wrong was they minimized the instance where he starts to realize Peeta and Katniss may have a chance, and decides to actually start training them. In their training he has a very small role, and they completely took out where he coaches Katniss on behaving like she loves Peeta. There is none of that, and it plays a big role in the books. The entire team that is there to prepare them for the Games get a very pulled back role in their training. There's no one there to tell them to hold hands when they head out on the carriage, Peeta just suggests it. There's no one there telling them to play up the romance, it's just awkwardly handled between the two of them. The only hint we got of this was Haymitch sending the one message with the soup about 'You call that a kiss?' and we never even see the follow through of that where Katniss plays up the affection to get the sleeping drought from the sponsors. They dropped the ball on this, and it seems to be to be a rather important drive in the story.
The riot in District 11 after Rue's death. This bothered me, because though we were getting a behind the scenes look at things during the Games opposed to the point of view in the book, there was no mention of District 11 rioting during the events of the Games. I found it to be more poignant that they sent her the tribute, that this poor Distract pulled its money together to show their appreciation to Katniss. Though I'm sure they made this choice to foretell what happens in the next movie I felt like it would have been better to keep the hints of rebellion down a little more in the first movie.
I felt they left a few side characters out that they could have kept in the story line. The big one for me was Madge, and how she was the one that gave Katniss the pin. I know they can't keep every side character in the story, but I always felt like Madge giving Katniss the Mockingjay pin was a way for a rebellion that had already started to build to show some support for a tribute. I may be off the mark on that, but it lost some of its significance for me with Katniss just buying it randomly at the market. Also, the Avox girl was never presented or given her back story. She, like Madge, doesn't show up much after her initial purpose is served, but she was a tie to Katniss's past and showed the punishments that the Capitol gave to those that went against them. They touch on the Avoxes only slightly when Katniss mentions they might cut out their tongues, but it's never really explained that this is an actual punishment they've used.
I was on the fence about how the movie showed us the behind the scenes aspect of the Games. In the books it's told completely from Katniss's perspective, and we don't see the what's happening outside the games throughout that entire first book. We don't get the view of being one of those people stuck watching the games on TV whether they want to be or not. Part of me felt like this was a good move as it allowed some aspects of the world to be explained, like the tracker jackers, that we wouldn't have necessarily had explained to us as seamlessly otherwise. A lot of the things we learn about the world in the books we learn through Katniss's inner dialoge, and this obviously wouldn't have worked as well in the movie to hear her thoughts constantly. At the same time though, I think it allowed some of the seriousness of what was happening to be dimmed as we were basically made those spectators in the Capitol watching the commentary and the view that this was all entertainment.
Now, for the things that I like. I loved the casting in this movie, pretty much all of it even on the characters that I felt they missed the direction of in the writing. Jennifer Lawrence was perfect as Katniss, and I find it rather ridiculous that people were calling her too big boned to play the part of Katniss. Josh Hutherson was great as Peeta and played the role of the frightened but determined 'boy with the bread'. He was both charming when he was aiming to be for the Capitol people, that touch of shy when he wasn't, and genuine n his approach to how Peeta felt towards Katniss. We didn't see much of Gale or Prim in this book, and I've already address the issue I had with how Prim's character as a whole was handled but both Liam Hemsworth and Willow Sheilds seemed to fit their roles well for the short time we saw them.
Elizabeth Banks was perfect as Effie Trinket, I loved how she seemed to take on Effie's offhanded way of treating the fact that Peeta and Katniss may die. Woody Harrelson was good as Haymitch though he was both skinnier than I pictured the man and as I said before, not as drunk. Woody Harrelson not acting like a drunken lunatic is something unexpected out of a performance from him.
As far as the other tributes went in the movie I felt they were all equally well cast, especially as they were characters that for the most part we didn't even know their names. We knew those few that stood out, but other's we only know by their Districts. Amandla Stenberg was perfectly cast as Rue, the quiet and shy girl who had more skill than any of the other's assumed. Alexander Ludwig as Cato was convincingly blood thirsty as well, and rather crazy seeming by the end. When I first heard the Lenny Kravitz was playing Cinna I was skeptical, but I ended up loving his performance as Katniss's soft spoke but strong support in the wings.
I felt like they did the feel of the arena right from the get go, though I didn't picture of Cornucopia as being this large black almost plastic-y looking thing in the center of the arena. The fighting between the different tributes played out pretty much as it did in the book, though you could tell they were trying to keep the blood down for the lower rating. They made the decision not to show the ships coming to pick up the bodies, which wasn't something that effected the movie either way. They got the overall feel of the world correct, and did an amazing job with the look of the Capitol and it's citizens. From an artist perspective the movie was beautiful as well, and the design teams did an excellent job.
Overall, though they got a lot right and some wrong I felt by the end of the movie that things were a little flat. Whether it was the lack of the detail that the book gives us so richly, or the fact that the things I felt they missed on were things I saw as being important I'm not sure. Perhaps if I had gone into the movie blindly without having read the books first I'd have appreciated it more, but I left feeling torn and uncertain. They got the gist of things as a whole, but missed the mark on some of the most important elements.
Plus, they left out the line where Peeta asks from his camouflaged vantage if Katniss was 'There to finish me off, sweetheart?'. I missed that line and the fact they didn't use it. Why? I don't know, it's not an important line other than to show that even while dying and covered in mud Peeta had a bit of a sense of humor. Plus, the fact that maybe if he was going to die he'd rather have Katniss be the one that did it.
All in all. I highly recommend the books as a good read. The movie, I'd say see it though I don't think it will be one I see repeatedly. It wasn't a bad movie, but when you enjoyed the books you may find yourself confused about why certain aspect didn't make it into the movie's storyline.
Till next time,dears...
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