Thread: The Hunger Games (movie)

So just got back from seeing the movie and I am somewhat satisfied. My only problem with reading a book before seeing the movie version, is that most times the movie doesn't come any where close to how good the book actually is. There are a few exceptions, Lord of the Rings being one of them, but for the Hunger Game the book is way better.

Don't get me wrong I think they did the best job they could do with adapting the book into a movie and they got a lot of scenes pretty spot on, Rue's death for example, but overall it was pretty boring and felt rushed; skipping from scene to scene without capturing the emotion that was depicted in the book. But I understand...you can't put all that stuff into a movie.

Didn't have a problem with the camera shakyness either. Without it the first fight scene would have gotten an R-rating. That is why they used that effect.

Don't think I'll be too eager to see the 2nd and 3rd movies in theaters. I'll prolly wait till DVD.

Now see I don't think they got Rue's death right at all. Go back and re-read that scene and try to play it out in your head like you are Katniss in both cases. I think the book's scene is far more poignant in the way it is played out. And while you get to see the two together in the movie a bit, it's nothing like the bonding they do in the book. You really get to know some of Rue's background and it makes the whistle she does mean that much more. You also get to realize a LOT more that she's not just a companion. Katniss identifies with her as if she was Prim. Running up and getting her down from the netting and then having her die just doesn't cut to the bone quite as hard as if, as in the book, Katniss comes running in at top speed just in time to see Marvel spear her through the abdomen while caught up in his trap. She wasn't there for her and Rue paid the price and it causes Katniss to kill her first tribute.

I can't remember if they allowed her to cover her with flowers afterwards or not in the movie but that was a major act of defiance in the book. Leaving the bodies alone after the fact was normal because the hovercrafts were supposed to pick up the bodies shortly after death (which they totally ignored in the movie). So giving her some semblance of a burial and the amount of respect she gave to another tribute goes a long way towards some incidents that happen in book two. And district 11 recognizes her acts for what they were and send her some district 11 bread in a parachute later (another point totally ignored in the movie).

Basically, what they got right... They got perfect. But what they missed or got wrong irks the shit out of me. I would LOVE to give this movie a 10/10. Unfortunately the points they got wrong force me to knock it down a couple points.

Kanati Movie-o-meter: ****************---- 8/10

Well that's the thing with this movie. I feel that they totally down-graded every relationship Katniss has with another person. Katniss & Hamititch, Katniss & Petta, Katniss & Rue, Katniss & Cinna and others. I mean they did an alright job with some of those, but it compares nothing to the details of each relationship that the book provides. And for me, these relationships are what drive the books. In the movie, they are trying to use the action oriented parts of the book to drive the story.

Well I think that they didn't have time to go into very much detail with people other then Peeta. After all, it was a pretty long movie, and they had to jam cram as much as possible into that amount of time.