Admittedly, I jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon pretty late, only reading the first book a few days before the movie came out. What begin with me reading the books to keep my friends from nagging me quickly became an intense obsession. After finishing the first book, I quickly dove into the second and third, finishing the series before I finally got to see the movie in theaters.
Generally, I’m a huge critic of novels that are turned into movies; it’s just not the same. You adopt these characters and create the story in your head; the image on the big screen often doesn’t match. However, I went into the theater with an open mind…and plenty of tissues.
I must say, I thought the movie was a phenomenal representation of the book. I was extremely impressed. From the perfection of the casting, to the amazing costuming of Capital citizens, it was perfection. There were tidbits here and there that didn’t quite match up, of course, but all in all, I felt like I was seeing what I had read.
I think one of the biggest qualms about the movie for me was the introduction of the mockingjay pin. I felt as though the storyline in the book dealing with the “un-friendship/friendship” between Madge and Katniss was extremely important. The moment in the book where Madge walks through the doors and hands Katniss the pin was a big deal for me, one of the most monumental moments in the book. I was disappointed when the movie added a twist with the pin that was just not up to par with the scene in the book.
The scenes from the Games were outstanding, in my opinion. I had my heart in my throat for the majority of the movie, as if I didn’t know what was coming. The actors chosen for each tribute were spectacular; I don’t think they could have chosen better people. One of the most heart wrenching scenes during the games (if you’ve read the book, you know what Im talking about) was perfect. I cried. It was one of the most tender moments in the entire movie, it was beautiful.
All in all, I was very pleased with the film adaptation of The Hunger Games. A movie is never going to perfectly mirror a book; it’s simply not possible. But I think this was one of the most successful attempts yet. (PhotoSource)