*WARNING! This is for discussion purposes and therefore WILL have spoilers. If you have not read the book or seen the movie you may not want to read or participate in the discussion*
So I feel like I have waited the appropriate amount of weeks to talk about this book to movie adaptation. The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katniss who takes her sisters place to fight to the death in a nation wide "game" aptly named, The Hunger Games. Oh, it is televised for the entire nation to see!
I have talked in circles with a few of my friends about this book and movie. I believe that it is one of the BEST book to movie adaptations that I have ever seen. I feel that the movie did the book justice and you never loose the essence of the book in the movie. I loved every second of the movie.
In the book, when Katniss volunteered to take Prim's place I had goosebumps. In the movie I balled my eyes out. I truly believed that she was desperate to save her sister. Not that I didn't feel that way in the book. It was just that seeing it on the big screen was enchanting.
I thought that they did a perfect job with most of the casting. Woody Herrelson, IMO, is the perfect Haymitch. I would have liked to see Haymitch fall off the stage drunk in the movie, but really that is just being picky. The girl who plays Katniss, Jennifer Lawrence, ( IMO) is perfect! She is exactly how I pictured Katniss to be in my head. I thought that the movie captured just how crafty she is. The boy who plays Peeta, Josh Hutcherson, was so not how I pictured him in my head. I imagined a taller, stockier guy. He throws bags of flour around like they are nothing. I just did not see Hutcherson being able to do that. Plus his dang hair drove me nuts! It looked so bleached to me. Having said that, I thought that he did do Peeta justice and I really did believe that he loved Katniss. When we are talking about looks, I suppose that it all just being picky again.
I loved how the movie showed the riots in district 9 after the death of Rue. Oh my lord I cried my eyes out in the book when Rue died! It was bad. I had such a headache afterwords. I did cry in the movie as well, but not like I did in the book.
I will say that I was very disappointed that they did not show Peeta and Katniss getting the loafs of bread from district 9. That was such a great moment in the book and I missed it greatly in the movie. I was also disappointed in the cave scene in the movie. That is such an intimate time for Peeta and Katniss and I feel like it was kind of skated over in the movie.
I think that is enough for now. So the question is... Was it as Good??? Well what do you think?
For me, I believe that it was pretty dang close....
:) Lisa
Great topic!!! I think it was a super close adaptation of the book. The acting in general was excellent and delivered a very well made movie.
ReplyDeleteI, too, missed some of those poignant moments you discussed, Lisa. This is where I think it "lacked", for lack of a better word, lol. There was a lacking of emotion, IMO. I thought Catniss should have been more irreverent, I thought Haymitch should have been more drink and disorderly, lol, but he and Cat had quite a cantankerous relationship and that was not translated well. I thought Cinna would have been more stoic. I hated that they didn't show Rue's district floating down the loaf of bread to Catniss. Total disservice. Peeta? Meh. I'm not a huge Hutcherson fan, so I would have preferred Zac Efron!
The high points, however, were brilliant! Preferences aside, Hutcherson was a wonderful Peeta and I do love him! Cat's volunteering for Primm? Balled my eyes out in the book and the movie. Seeing Gale cringe at the screen while Peeta and Cat kissed, totally made up, but sooo believable. Rue's dad starting the riot. Again, that didn't happen in the movie, but it really sets things up for what's to come. President Snow being subtly despicable. UGH.
And now...Francis Lawrence is taking over the helm as director. Ummm....not sure if you've heard the rumor, but...Francis directed a little movie called Water for Elephants starring SOME British guy that's really popular??? Anyway....whose name do you think has been thrown around to star as FINNICK ODAIR? You freaking know it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
Ah! Are you serious???? Ah! I might die! My only request is that he would seriously bulk up for this part. I picture Finnick as a kinda big guy. Not at all lanky.
DeleteI think that the problem with books in the first person is that sooooo much of the story is in the main characters head. So when it is made into a movie, it is really hard to get certain emotions and thoughts across to the audience. I suppose that is we as readers Have the advantage because we know what She is thinking. For example, in the book Katniss was so attached to Rue because she reminded her so much of Prim and when Rue dies it is DEVASTATING to Katniss Ans you get why. In the movie it just seems like she spent a day with this little girl and she dies. But we knew better. I would have liked to get a little more emotion across in the movie too.
Oh And I loved how, like you said Carmen, they would lets us see what was going on across Panem during the games. It made it seems more real.
ugh! freaking typos! how do i miss these things... :(
ReplyDeleteYou're right about Prim and Cat's relationship in the movie. I guess I just KNEW how special they were to each other, that it didn't seem like such a small amount of time spent together. Even though it actually was, you know? Not long after they allied did Rue die, right? I don't remember, but I, too, appreciated their interaction on screen.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait for Catching Fire! Funny how I totally don't see Finnick as a big guy. :D That's why, as much as I love Ian Sommerhalder as Christian....he's too short! And then while I love Alexander Skarsgard, he's not Ian! :D
As in most cases I find the movie falls so short of what the book was I hesitate to go to see it in the theaters. This was one of those for me, would I go see the movie now that I read your article, probably not... I got the impression that it was another one that could leave me feeling as if they missed the mark. The book was great.
ReplyDelete