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Book vs. Movie: The Hunger Games!

3/23/2012

45 Comments

 
Hunger Games cover
    
      

Book vs. Movie
The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: 10/31/08

Directed by: Gary Ross
Released: 3/23/12
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Okay, so I read the entire book for the third or fourth time and finished (literally) right before the trailers began.   A few quick notes about the theater: We got there at 8:45 for a midnight showing and got to sit in our theater seats for that entire time. JACKPOT! There were a bunch of people dressed up  as Katniss, tributes, or Capitol dwellers. (I only had on my mockingjay pin.)  When they showed a trailer for the new Twilight movie and for the Snow White movie with Kristen Stewart, people booed...and I smiled at their booing. (In pride!) I was so giddily excited to see what Lionsgate and Gary Ross had in store for me and every other Hunger Games fan out there. First off, some advice to all fans of the series: DO NOT READ THE BOOK AGAIN RIGHT BEFORE YOU SEE THIS MOVIE. Do you hear me? Don't do it. You'll regret it if you do.

Okay, as I continue on I am going to assume that whoever is reading this blog post has already read the entire book series. In terms of the movie, I'm not sure how someone who hasn't seen it yet would feel. I mean, you already know the entire plot from the book so I'm really not spoiling anything. The way I see it is this: You will be entertained by the movie, it is a pretty good movie all around, but there are a lot of differences from the book and I will lay them out for you. You've been warned.
Mrs Everdeen
A little too "with it"?
The movie opens in a similar fashion as the book, only there are a few text prompts that explain what the Hunger Games are before anything actually happens. Katniss is consoling Prim after she has a nightmare, which doesn't happen in the book--Prim has moved to their mother's bed before she wakes up. Mrs. Everdeen was much more put together in the movie than I would've liked her to be. The audience doesn't know that she works with medicines and this information is deleted from the entirety of the movie so Katniss never makes any references to knowledge of first aid or healing and Rue never helps Katniss with herbs for her tracker jacker stings. I loved the scene between Rue and Katniss in the book when they swap remedies and split supplies but it doesn't exist in the movie; instead, the two of them just eat together and then basically set up the firewood for their sabotage plans. The scene when Rue dies was still very moving but the film did little to develop a relationship between Rue and Katniss.

Katniss and Gale
Believable friendship.
Gale and Katniss' relationship in the movie stays pretty true to the book and it was a highlight for me overall. The beginning scene with the two of them hunting creates a realistic belief by the audience that these two characters have a history. The dialogue between the two stays true to the book and we get the feeling of Gale's underlying distrust of the system.  Additionally, we get to see Gale watching the Games once or twice during the movie and that is something we don't ever see in the book: any glimpse of what he might be feeling as he sees Peeta and Katniss together.

Effie, Haymitch, and Katniss
Effie, Haymitch, and Katniss watching the scores come in.
Another highlight from start to finish is Effie Trinket. Elizabeth Banks does a wonderful job in character and even when she had lines that didn't appear in the book, she provided comic relief--comic relief that I'd hoped would come from Haymitch but... not so much. I was disappointed that Haymitch doesn't even appear until the tributes are already on the train--there was no falling off the stage or drunkenness or vomiting. He's coherent throughout and I thought that was a letdown.

The biggest difference in the film is the mockingjay pin. *sigh* In the book, Katniss receives the pin from Madge, a friend from District 12. She wears it not knowing its significance until she and Rue have a discussion in the arena. In the movie, Madge doesn't exist. Katniss finds the pin in the Hob, gives it to Prim to "protect her at the Reaping", Prim gives it back to Katniss, and then there is never a discussion with Rue. Oh, and Katniss wears the pin on her dress at the very end of the movie as a sign of her rebellion, which never happened in the book. I was such a fan of the way the pin was introduced in the book--not so much in the movie.

Cinna and Katniss
Cinna and Katniss.
On a side note, I didn't mind that Cinna gave her the mockingjay pin as a sort of "secret" between the two of them. I was one of those people who complained about Lenny Kravitz' casting as Cinna but I'll eat crow on this one because he really could do no wrong. I was surprised as how much I liked him in that part.

The movie does capture the general feeling of the games and it doesn't skimp out on a lot of the violence. There are definitely a few deaths I was surprised to see included, but at the same time a lot of the deaths are just skipped over. (e.g. Katniss doesn't battle anyone for the backpack) After the initial battle at the cornucopia, 12 die instead of 11. WHY? Thresh is killed by the muttations instead of Cato. WHY? I guess just to move the story along but these little changes could've just used one dialogue line and stayed true to the book. (edit: It might be unclear how Thresh dies in the book. The scene near the end was changed, however, because in the book Cato comes frantically running past Peeta and Katniss and Peeta is limping as they all run together to the cornucopia. This would've been an even more adrenaline-filled scene if it'd stayed true to the book.)

Movie poster
May the odds be ever in your favor.
Throughout the Games, we are shown how the gamemakers create and edit the arena and I have to say, that was quite interesting. It was something we never got to experience in the book and it added to the movie. Because readers know what is coming in books two and three, the filmmakers added a few details into the film to give hints at where the series is going. After Katniss gives her salute to Rue, we see riots in District 11. We see a few conversations between President Snow and Seneca Crane about the purpose of the games and containing the tiny bit of hope created by them. I understand why these scenes were included but I wish there was a way to include them without taking out scenes I wish were retained. And so it goes.  I think a much more successful way to incorporate the underlying tension in the districts would've been to include the Avox in the movie and flashback while Katniss explains to Peeta where she recognized her from. That happens in the book but the Avox, who has several scenes with Katniss in the book, is absent from the film.

Other scenes that are absent or changed in the movie:

  • Katniss never receives bread from Rue's district
  • Katniss never receives sleep potion or gives it to Peeta
  • They never receive a feast basket when they are starving. (also, they are never starving)
  • There is  never a dried-up stream or torrential rain
  • Peeta never really appears all that sick. At the end of the games, he just hops down off the cornucopia and he and Katniss look/act rather healthy. There is no mention of either requiring any hospitalization, no metal leg or cane.
  • Katniss' dress for the interview has ZERO jewels on it. And she twirls in her dress to create flames in what is probably the cheesiest scene in the movie.
  • Peeta throws a heavy object in training to prove to the Careers that he is no one to be scoffed at
  • Rue steals a knife from a Career during the training period.
  • Katniss doesn't have flames painted on her nails. (easy fix)
  • The muttations at the end are just CGI dogs and not combinations of the tributes and wolves. This made me sad. 
  • Katniss is never visibly thirsty. She finds water right away and doesn't have to wander around trying to find it. She stays basically healthy throughout the entire Games except for her tracker jacker stings and her leg burn.
  • After Peeta professes his crush on Katniss during the interview, she doesn't injure his hands.
  • After Katniss wakes up from hallucinating from her stings, Rue is there explaining that Katniss had been asleep for days and that she'd been changing her camouflage.
  • The sponsor gifts are delivered with a little noise, in a metal case with actual notes from Haymitch. (this change made sense to me)
I wish that there was a little more development for the Peeta/Katniss love story. As it is in the movie, it kind of moves straight from him professing his love at the interview to their one heartfelt conversation the night before the Games to Katniss caring for him.  She never tells him the story about Prim's goat and they don't really talk about anything of substance in the cave. The entire Games feels like it is about 5 days when it is supposed to be two weeks. That's what I was missing--I wanted it to feel a bit less hurried and to actually see the tributes in pain, hungry, and thirsty. And I wanted to see Peeta near death and Katniss nurse him back to health over time. In the book, I felt like Katniss was conflicted about her feelings but in the movie, I just never felt like she liked him all that much.

The movie ends at a similar point that the book does but continuing the discussion on Katniss and Peeta, I was missing his realization that it was all faked, or at least a good portion of it was. In the book, Haymitch prepares Katniss for the post-Games interview and tells her that he doesn't need to do so for Peeta because "he's already there." Peeta only finds out Katniss' jumbled feelings after that. The movie ends with Peeta still being clueless and Katniss making eye contact with Gale back in District 12. And with President Snow looking generally evil and plotting. And with Seneca Crane being locked in a room with poisonous berries. 

Using our new ratings system, I'd give the new Hunger Games movie:
Picture
"You pleased me some of the time."
(From The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and directed by Kevin Reynolds in 2002)
It was okay. We would probably watch it again if it were on in the middle of the day. But we'd be reading at the same time.
This is actually probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I think I would've enjoyed the film more if I hadn't read the book directly beforehand. The glaring omission of several of my favorite characters (mostly Madge and the Avox) and the character inconsistencies of Mrs. Everdeen and Haymitch nagged at me.  I wanted to see more of the Capitol and all the inventions, and I was missing a lot of relationship development. I will be going to see it once or twice more in theaters with members of my family and I can't wait to hear what they think. What did YOU think? Did you catch something I missed? Did you love it? Let's discuss in the comments! 
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45 Comments
Maja link
3/23/2012 12:56:35 am

If you decided against taking notes after all and wrote all this from memory, you are a machine, Flann. I was going to reread the book this weekend in preparation for the movie and I'm so happy you saved me from myself.
I had such high expectations for Woody and I'm sorry that he was a disappointment, but on the other hand, I was right about Lenny Kravitz and I'm doing my little happy dance now because of that. :D

I'll be honest, I skipped that final list of scenes that were different because I didn't want to know everything in advance. And I'm amazed by those people who came dressed as Katniss or tributes. People in Croatia never do these things! It must be fun.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/23/2012 02:51:34 am

Yeah, don't do it, Maja. You'll be happier that way. And no, I didn't take notes...but you knew I was a cylon already:)

You know, I know you said "people in Croatia" don't dress up for movies but you are a person in Croatia and...you know...you could start a trend.

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Jason link
3/24/2012 01:33:53 pm

So I saw the movie tonight and I was disappointed. I agree with this review there were too man inconsistencies in the film adaptation. Madge gave her the pin which my roommate said didn't matter which to me it did. They didn't introduce Greasy Sae either which kinda pissed me off. The hob didn't look poor enough for a district that is struggling so much. Don't know if anyone else remembers this who read the book but Haymitch drank Vodka not scotch in the book. Also, I didn't like the idea that they didn't address the fact that basically Katniss bribed peacemakers and the Mayor with Game from her trips. Also, the fact that they didn't show how Gale taught Katniss to set traps and the backstory behind Gale and Katniss is underdeveloped. The first 30 minutes should be redone. Of course it will reach tween stardom but as a movie even with Suzanne Collins helping was poorly written. Biggest thing that pissed me off though was the fact they introduced the tribute to Rue so early in the movie before Rue actually died and the riots didn't happen til Catching Fire and they didn't use riot shields and batons they used Guns and ran down the rebels. I give the Hunger Games movie a C rating for lack of trueness to the book.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 04:10:39 pm

Despite everyone else looking forward to the games part of the movie, I was actually most pumped up to see the buildup. You're right about tons being changed in the first 30 minutes. A few of my friends and I agree that they should've explained a bit more about how so many people were struggling financially and how much the sponsored gifts cost. I wish they would've left the bread from District 11 in as well. I didn't mind the riots or the side parts with Snow and Crane too much because they had to somehow show that unrest was beginning to elevate in the outlying districts and since the book was in first person, it was makes it harder to translate to the screen. I'd probably give it a B- overall--not too different from you. Maybe a B:-/

papalbina link
3/23/2012 01:20:04 am

I think the movie is a very good adaptation of the book. They took some liberties but they made sense and were not too many (see Percy Jackson for too many liberties).

I knew beforehand how the mockingjay pin was introduced in the movie, so it didn't bother me much that madge was cut out of the film. It bothered me more that the whole bread story from district 11 was cut out, but also was cut out the explanation about the bread types, so it made sense. The scene in district 11 with the revolt is a way to connect to the next movie and another reason to cut out the bread story...

i'm quite sure rue applies leaves to katniss to cure the stings or so i understood since she applied them on hands and neck only. and you were the one rereading the book but i think we never know how thresh died...

on the other hand, i completely agree with you in the lack of character development, it's a movie, but still the relationship that is build in that cave between katniss and peeta is kind of important... the end was also kind of rush too, it came so rushed that i didn't realize peeta was perfectly ok at the end (no injuries, no prosthetic leg), until i was outside of the cinema...

i would give the movie a four, ever a four and almost a half. it was well made, introduced information that didn't come in the books (like the control room or presenting the president Snow) and were important for the no-readers viewers to understand the story (this one and the future ones), but i really, really missed the building of the katniss-peeta relationship. i did like josh hutcherson as peeta very much, but jennifer lawrence was only able to cover one part of katniss, the hard one... But of course that's just my opinion :)

When you watch it again, tell us what was your second thoughts ;)

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/23/2012 03:04:21 am

I agree that the riots were actually a good addition to the movie. The bit about the bread was something I really missed. I loved the idea in the book that doing something for Rue's death was a huge act of rebellion because they'd have to broadcast it. And that it was beyond expensive to send anything in as sponsors. The idea that so many people banded together to send her that gift meant a great deal.

You might be right about Thresh. I think what bothered me about that ending was that in the book, it is just down to Cato, Peeta and Katniss and P&K are just trying to figure out a plan when Cato comes running past them full speed and all three of them get to the cornucopia at the same time. Thresh is already dead. So if they were going to show P&K listening in the forest and then the dogs chasing them, why not just spend one or two seconds having Cato running frantically past them. I wish the muttations had stayed as amalgamations of animals and the tributes. It really showed how little the Capitol cares about the kids in the Games.

I'll have to see it once or twice more in the next week so I'm glad we can talk about these things and I'll definitely update after the second time:) I got my mockingjay pin when I bought Catching Fire on release day at Borders. I'm not sure of any stores that are selling them now but I know there are a lot of homemade ones on www.etsy.com. If they only ship to US addresses, just email me and you can send it to me and I'll send it on:)

The movie implied that Rue changed Katniss' leaves for camouflage. She just said something like, "I changed your leaves a few times" but the leaves were just whole leaves pasted on her arms and neck.

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papalbina link
3/23/2012 05:41:43 am

i'm just looking forward to the extras in the DVD, especially deleted scenes (hope for a gag reel, but probably there won't be any in such a serious movie).

thank you for the offer with the mockingjay pin, you're a sunshine. luckily, etsy delivers to europe, so that won't be a problem. i already order a badge (not the same, but perfect for my backpack ^___^).

i hope i can go again with my boyfriend and watch his reaction (he does know nothing about the story, it will be an interesting experiment).

papalbina link
3/23/2012 01:33:43 am

by the way, where did you get your mockingjay pin?? I can't find it anywhere in central europe and that's making me crazy T___T

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Sam link
3/23/2012 02:02:53 am

It's probably a good thing then that I didn't even have the time to re-read the book beforehand. It's funny how I have literally just gotten back from watching the film and this is the first blog post I have visited. Thanks for that! :) I REALLY enjoyed the film - perhaps more than I even expected. I completely agree the Effie was one of the highlights. She was probably even better than I had imagined her in the book! I wasn't expecting it to blow me away as hardly any book-to-movie adaptations are as spectacular as the book itself - and it didn't. But it was A LOT better than I had anticipated. I think I may even be going to see it again with a different group of friends in a week. ;)

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/23/2012 03:06:14 am

I'm so, so happy that they spent the money to make it a better film than, say, Twilight. The production level was higher and the acting was better so it had that going for it from the start. Make sure to come back and tell me if you notice any more differences when you watch it again, Sam:)

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Heidi link
3/23/2012 03:08:58 am

Sigh, whydo they always have to take such liberties? i always hate that, I am sure many fans will be disappointed. I had no idea Lenny Kravitz was in this, now I am anxious to see him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Flan.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 01:30:01 am

I wish more could've been included but I've definitely seen much worse than this:) There are some absolute trainwrecks of film adaptations of books and I am excited to get to them. Lenny Kravitz was great. Come back and let me know what you think of the movie!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/23/2012 03:19:12 am

It could've been so much worse, Heidi, so I'm happy about that at least. And it was such a fun experience--I love midnight showings and I'm glad they made it into a movie at all. Suzanne Collins did show up on the screenwriting credits with two other people so I guess she had a say in what made it in and what was deleted. I am curious how the other three (yes, three) movies will pan out...

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Sparrow
3/23/2012 04:42:52 am

I'm SO glad I didn't read the book right before. At first I was totally weirded out by the Mockingjay pin thing, but then they sold me on it when Cinna gave it back to her. I can see taking Madge out, even though I really like her. And it was already a reeeeeeally long movie, so I think if they had tried to add much more in, it could have gotten really out of hand.

Overall, though, I'm kind of left feeling like, while I liked it, I would sit down to read the book again before I'd watch the movie. I even like that about the movie, though. Like, it highlights great things about the book, but hopefully it still pushes people to read and enjoy the books. Where, like, with Harry Potter I, I'd just as soon sit down to watch the movie as read the book, and that kind of points out some excesses in the book. In this, I think it points out that most of the elements of the Hunger Games really add something to the overall story.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 01:34:05 am

I agree. Even though I knew the story and I'd reread it before, I had a blast rereading the book. I totally enjoyed it and still got sad/anxious/angry at all the usual places. The movie had a weird too fast/too slow thing going on. They cut a lot out of the games but it still was filled with shots that were too long at points.

I'll watch the movie again when the second one comes out...otherwise I'll be sticking to the book.

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Aly link
3/23/2012 06:55:44 am

This is why I'm so anxious about it. I've been hearing the same things. A lot of disappointed fans. Saying it was funny in the wrong places, the hunger games boring and not depicted like they were in the book and no great chemistry. These things are freaking me out. It's why I'm glad I have decided not to read the book too. Everyone's kind of saying just go into without any expectations. But I feel kinda frustrated and want to say that this had a big budget and yet it seems like they royally messed up. I kind of feel like we deserve to go in with high expectations, and if not met, come out and say, well they sure F-ed up. Why should we be ok with something mediocre or a let down? I feel like that's the attitude right now. 'Oh it was ok and fine even though it didn't have this, this and this'. *sighs*

Can you tell I'm frustrated? LOL

And I haven't even watched it yet. hahaha :P

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 01:39:44 am

I keep laughing to myself about the fact that Cinna and Katniss had the best chemistry. She and Peeta were both good actors (JL much better, though) but I just didn't feel it. I read somewhere that people felt like Katniss was like his babysitter. AWKWARD! :)

Go watch it and then come tell me what you think. I kind of agree with you that there is probably a way that they can satisfy everyone and this didn't hit the mark. It was still entertaining--at least we have that.

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VeganYANerds link
3/23/2012 07:35:00 am

Great comparison, Flannery! I read the books months ago and didn't plan to re-read them because I knew all the inconsistencies would drive me nuts.

I too was disappointed with how the pin came into it, that Rue and Katniss didn't have more of a relationship and that Peeta seemed pretty clueless at the end.

Also, you're right, the spinning in the dress scene was very cheesy and she twirled about a dozen time, 11 times too many!

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 01:42:00 am

I thought Katniss was really endearing in the book at the interview scene. And I loved that conversation she had with Cinna beforehand about how she should look into his eyes to ground her in the crowd. But it didn't happen in the movie! Geez. I totally would've loved to see a dress covered in jewels as well. That part in the movie was just so.cheesy.

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Rachel
3/23/2012 10:05:59 am

I am going to come back and read this after I go see the movie. I love that you included the scenes that were not included in the movie. It's been a while since I've read the books. I actually didn't want to read the books close to the release date of the movie because I didn't want to be disappointed when the movie screwed things up. I can't be too disappointed if I don't remember, right?! :)

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 01:58:48 am

Exactly! I'm curious if you'll like it more since you don't remember a lot of the little details. To be honest, it'd been a while since I read the book so I didn't even remember some of the side characters until I reread it on Thursday.

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Tina link
3/23/2012 10:11:29 am

I didn't read the book before the movie and I was glad, but boy do I want to reread the book after the movie. I liked it all in all, even if some of the running and battle scenes got me dizzy. I thought Jennifer Lawrence was very good, but Josh Hutcherson was just okay. I still think Peeta should be a bit softer, haha. And yeah, I also missed some of the survival factor in the game, especially when Katniss was looking for water.

OH, but I loved the camouflage scene, where Katniss steps on Peeta. My friend said, "Peeta was literally one with nature". LOL. And I have to laugh because the three of us were crying when Katniss volunteered and when Rue died. We were THAT affected even in the movie.

I liked it, and I will probably watch it again. It did feel a little long, but overall, I think it was a pretty good adaptation. I hope Catching Fire will be just as good/better (because that's my favorite in the series). :D

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 02:08:28 am

I shed a tear or two during the Rue scene, too. The actress they picked for that part was great--I wish she'd had more scenes!

I cannot wait to see what they do with the arena from Catching Fire. That was so, so cool in the book.

LOL at the "one with nature" comment:)

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Maggie, Young Adult Anonymous link
3/23/2012 10:16:59 am

My entire theater laughed during the Twilight preview. I was so proud.

I was a bit disappointed by Haymitch's lack of development because his relationship with Katniss throughout the series is my favorite -- more so than Gale + Katniss or Peeta + Katniss. (BTW, did a "PEENIS" chant break out in your theater?) I love that Haymitch, more than anyone, understands Katniss and vice versa.

I am totally eating crow with you, Flann, because Lenny Kravitz was fantastic. I thought the casting was pretty spot on, esp the younger characters like Rue and Prim, and I loved Jennifer Lawrence's performance. I wish Josh Hutcherson was taller so he didn't seem so... insignificant? unequal? young? next to Jennifer, but his acting was great. The lack of Peeta's development wasn't his fault.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and think it set a solid foundation for Catching Fire.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 02:15:20 am

I am so embarrassed right now because I thought those few people who were chanting were just playing the penis game:-/

I wrote this earlier in the comments but it cracked me up that I read somewhere on the net that it felt like Katniss was Peeta's babysitter. She just seemed more mature than him. I guess he was supposed to be somewhat helpless. I'm still just so annoyed that neither of them ever seemed that injured. I wanted them to feel ragged at the end but they basically look just like they did going in.

I'm still okay with most of it. I'm also really excited to see CF.

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Nomes link
3/23/2012 09:21:52 pm

love this recap flann

i agree it was not a good decision to read the book so close to the movie. instead of just sitting back in the movie, i kept seeing the (not so) parrallel scenes from the book

i think even though they followed the general narrative of the story, they somehow missed the heartbeat of it (if you get what i mean). seemed a lot more shallow, and an easy victory. the themes and contrast from the districts to the capitol were barely drawn.

i thought they missed a lot, but it also dragged in parts for me.

also, so much of it was funny, but not intentionally so. missed the mark for me. my verdict is kinda lame, but entertaining.

good news~ gale is the obvious winner in this round, haha.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 02:17:56 am

I think I would've been so angry in your theater, Nomes:) Hardly any laughs in my theater and only at the regular times. They did cheer when Thresh killed Clove. It totally felt like an easier victory, I agree.

I think we are the only two people in the world who preferred Gale to Peeta lol. He just turned into such a douche in the third book.

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Lucy link
3/23/2012 11:40:32 pm

Awesome book vs. movie comparison, Flannery. I haven't re-read the book for about a year so I noticed some but not all of those details. You are right that with this movie, maybe it's best to go without having read the book first.

One thing I loved in the theater is hearing the reactions of people who have not read it. (Biggest gasp could be heard at Rue's death)
In terms of the differences, I really liked seeing the gamemakers behind the scenes and the riot in district 11.

I was disappointed that the feast scene in the cave wasn't there, the Avox, and the scenes with Rue and Katniss that you mentioned. Also, was very surprised that the movie did not end with Peeta finding out that Katniss was acting in regards to her feelings for him.

Agree with your acting assessment. Haymitch was the biggest disappointment.

Overall though it was entertaining and I'm sure I'll go see it again.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 02:46:19 am

I don't totally understand why they didn't end the movie with Peeta finding out that her feelings were all fake. If they were going to take the two of them all the way back to their own district, they should've already had that conversation. And it doesn't seem natural to OPEN the second movie with that realization.

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Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 09:52:38 pm

This was one of my most favorite parts of the book - Peeta's heartbreak in the end. I don't understand why they didn't play it up in the movie....

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 08:44:43 am

So, I am just back from the movies and ready to discuss.

I pretty much agree with everything you've mentioned. Just a couple of notes:

1) I didn't mind the exclusion of Madge. In the end, her role wasn't that significant.

2) Haymitch indeed wasn't drunk nearly enough.

3) The highlights for me - I really liked the landscape of the Capitol; JL was great as Katniss; Effie was fab. Highlight for hubby (who has read and liked the books) - Katniss is hot.

4) Lowlights - I felt like the arena was like 100x100 ft, very small, no differences in landscape; they didn't make me hate Capitol enough; not enough cave time, not enough dirt and blood and hunger. Lowlights for hubby - they made Peeta seem dumb.

Overall, I liked it OK. I'll get used to it. But it made me want to read the books again badly.

P.S. I though the way they wrote the dialog for Effie and Haymitch, they made it seem like they had some sexual thing going on behind the closed doors. Am I crazy?

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 04:15:47 pm

As a heterosexual girl, I totally agree with your husband that I couldn't stop looking at how beautiful Jennifer Lawrence is!

Gosh, I wonder what their choices behind Haymitch were. I thought his hair/wig was kind of a joke and they made him out to be kind of a player. He should've had a transition from absolutely disgusting, bumbling alcoholic to a somewhat presentable guy. He started out as the latter.

You're right that the arena was too small. The one part with Crane and game makers when Katniss was too far away? Yeah, that made it look like they kept a ton of usable space just out there in the void. In the book, there were also large uphill/downhill scenes but there wasn't much of that in the movie that I noticed either. Or a huge lake. I totally visualized the cornucopia differently with the food/supplies. Did it seem RIDICULOUSLY OBVIOUS where the land mines were buried to you?

When you go back to read it, I bet you'll love it even more.

Effie and Haymitch, eh? I didn't notice that one--just Katniss and Cinna lol. I'll check it out when I see it again on Tuesday. (you might be crazy either way:))

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Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 09:56:28 pm

Oh, Haymitch's hair! Way too clean. In fact, everyone's hair was too clean.

And did you notice that Katniss never took off her games jacket off. Not even once.

This is why it felt like the games went on for, like, one day. She looked exactly the same throughout the games.

Annalisa
3/24/2012 12:48:31 pm

I haven't read the book since before Catching Fire came out and I really liked the film. I especially loved Emily Banks, Stanley Tucci, and Lenny Kravitz. (Woody Harrelson not so much, not nearly drunk enough.) Jennifer Lawrence did a good job too. As much as I loved Josh Hutcherson, he didn't feel like Peeta to me. He's normally really good at emotion, so I thought he could have played him stronger. I wish they'd bulked him up some more and given him more screen time, especially in the cave. In the book you see both Katniss faking it for the camera and falling for him, but in the movie you only see Katniss playing up the camera. That was my only major disappointment with the film, was the relationship between Katniss and Peeta, but as a Gale fan, I didn't care too much :).

I didn't mind that they shaved down the relationship with Rue because they gave us the uprising in District 11 to make me feel sad about her family losing her so I was still sad about it. And I also didn't mind that much that the mutant wolves didn't resemble the dead tributes because that was kind of freaky. It was still pretty gory.

I learned from Harry Potter not to read the book before the movie. If you have a vague remembrance of the story, it's always a more enjoyable experience than if you have all the little details in your head. If I expect the movie to be spot on, I'm always disappointed. There just isn't enough time to develop the story the way you do in a book. I have a plaque on my bookshelf that says the book is always better.

As a side note, the first preview for my midnight premiere movie was for Hunger Games. Really strange, but we all cheered. Then there was the Avengers and I can't even remember what else and then they started playing John Carter! When they finally put the right movie it, they skipped the previews. I was rather disappointed not to hear everyone boo the Breaking Dawn preview, but didn't want to stay up any later.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/24/2012 04:22:11 pm

A part of me really wanted to see the muttations at the end but I think you're right that they were probably smarter to stick with the dogs. If they would've tried to combine them with the tributes, I doubt it would've been successful and then it would've just been cheesy CGI.

Every time I think of how much was left out of the Katniss/Peeta relationship, I sigh. I agree with you about Peeta just not getting enough play in the movie. (though I liked Gale more until he went crazy in Mockingjay) The Katniss/Peeta cave scene could've been so much more but it mostly just left me hoping for more. And it was weird how they ended the movie with her not telling Peeta it was all faked.

That's so great that you have a plaque that says that. We've been doing the book vs. movie bit for a while here on the blog and we intend to keep it up. In order to do a proper comparison, we try to read the book really close to watching the movie or else we can't tell people what the real differences were. You're right that it does take a bit of the experience away. And a very few number of movies are actually better than the books:) But only a few.

That is such a bizarre thing to happen at the movies, especially at the midnight showing! There weren't any that were really crazy exciting ones that I remember. I can just picture your entire audience being like, "JOHN CARTER! WHAAAAAT?!" :)

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Annalisa
3/24/2012 11:53:47 pm

Yeah, I agree that it was disappointing not to tell Peeta in the end. Good time to get some of that Josh Hutcherson emotion going on. Even though I was a Gale fan, I still like Peeta and would have loved to see a real connection between him and Katniss. And I was a total Gale fan until Mockingjay when his character went downhill too. Sigh.

I have seen a few movies that were better than the book, but never a book I loved. Sometimes I read a book close to the movie, but if it's one I love, I try to leave it alone. That's why I have people like you to tell me what the differences are :).

Missie, The Unread Reader link
3/25/2012 04:12:50 am

Hey Flannery,

Sorry if I missed any discussion post in which you addressed casting, because my issues with the film start there. I enjoyed the film but had many of the same issues as you. But my main problem as always been with the casting of Peeta and Katniss. I don't thing the actors that were cast to play them look right. JL is nothing but curves. She doesn't look "hungry". She doesn't look like a teen, at least to me she didn't. And because of that I just couldn't support her as Katniss.

And I'm very disappointed by how the mockingjay pin was introduced. I couldn't believe the way it happened. It was a total let down. Also, Katniss had a very significant history with her father and how they used to sing together, and that should have been explained too. I was looking forward to the build up too. I know your recommendation is for those not to read the book before the movie, but my only thought afterwards is that if people hadn't read the book they wouldn't know what was going on because the district really didn't look that destitute as described in the books. In fact, my aunt who watched the film with me kept asking me to explain why this, why that. I don't think the film makes sense to those who haven't read the book.

I'm rambling, and not making sense, but this is a great post. I agree that more relationship and world building development was needed. I was excited about the fact that SC was going to be part of the script writing team, but it turned out to not really make a difference.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/26/2012 01:37:03 pm

Hey Missie:) I didn't address the casting too much because I felt like people talked about it so much when the casting decisions were first announced. I thought they both acted their parts well (with what they were given to work with) but I just don't like Hutcherson as Peeta very much.

I only advocate not reading the book super close to when you watch the movie. I think EVERYONE should read it before they see it...but hopefully it is far enough away that all the details won't be so fresh in their mind. (so they won't notice all the changes as much)

I'm disappointed that they explained the mockingjay pin as just a kind of protection and sort of developed it into a sign of rebellion. Even if Madge was still not in it, I think it could've been introduced and explained in a way that made it clearer why it meant so much as a symbol.

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Chachic link
3/25/2012 06:11:35 pm

Flann, Flann, I finally got to watch the movie! Have I earned by book blogger street cred? I'm amazed at all the details that you were able to remember from the movie. I didn't read the book before watching the movie because I had a feeling I'd end up disappointed - I was already expecting them to cut out some scenes because they can't squeeze everything in there. Some of the things that I wish were explained better in the movie: Katniss' salute to Rue, the mockingjay pin and what mockingjays are in general (they explained what tracker jackers are but not what mockingjays are), the muttations (they were a lot more scary/creepy in the book). And they should have included the bread from District 11, I was waiting for that! Also, I would have liked the love story to be more developed - I felt like there should have been more significant scenes between Katniss and Peeta, and I didn't think it was fully explained that Peeta was duped? Although my friends who watched it with me said that they did get the idea that Katniss was just pretending.

It was funny how the audience reacted to certain scenes like they'd go "Aww" when Gale is shown while Katniss and Peeta were having a tender moment. LOL my friend even said, "Gale is probably wishing he's in the arena right about now. He should have volunteered!" I also loved how surprised my friend was by Peeta's disguise. And I kept noticing that Katniss didn't get as grimy or as dirty as she was in the book, she was still pretty all throughout the movie (she didn't look particularly hungry either). Overall, I enjoyed watching it but I don't think I'm going to rave about it so it's good to know that it looks like you had a similar reaction.

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peanutfinch
3/26/2012 10:54:15 am

I really felt that not explaining the mockingjay was a huge thing, although it could be explained in the second movie. Katniss wearing the pin in itself was seen as an act of rebellion since the mockingjay was an animal that was never supposed to exist and seen as a rebellion to the capitol. The avox can always be explained later, but I do wish they had maybe shown a little more about district 12 and the severity of the starvation and rules. They could have explained the tesserae. Also, the detail of the 13th district being destroyed was never stressed and after seeing it twice, its not stressed upon that the rebellion ended in that, and that is pivotal to the story lines in the second and third books. Lastly, I wish they had put Haymitch in the reaping scene, because it was funny but at the same time, it would have maybe lightened the scene too much. They could have played up the drunkeness just a little bit more and I only say this because it really shows what the Hunger Games did to Haymitch and the effect winning has on a tribune. Also they should have included about Peeta's leg and Katniss losing her hearing to show the physical along with emotional scars of participating as a tribune

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/26/2012 01:48:19 pm

I missed Haymitch in the reaping scene as well. It is such a serious movie at most parts that it almost needs the bit of humor that he provided in his scenes in the book. And I definitely think you're right that it should've been included at least to an extent that we saw a true transformation because they way it was...just didn't do that.

Every time a commenter mentions how they didn't accurately portray Katniss and Peeta's injuries in the arena, I just sigh in agreement. Katniss' leg wasn't the worst of it for me. Peeta was basically near death and at the end of the book HE HAS A METAL LEG AND A CANE! In the movie, he can basically sprint to the cornucopia and he just jumps down and the two of them just chill with their berries.Of course it would be harder for the filmmakers to realistically portray the extent of Peeta's injuries but it really made me angry that Peeta is uninjured and ignorant of Katniss' lack of feelings at the end of the movie. Ugh.

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Jaime Lester
3/26/2012 03:53:26 pm

Even though I hadn't read the book for about a year, all through the movie I kept saying "Dang it, why did that change that", or "Why did they do that". The biggest thing for me was Madge and the pen and Rue and Katniss. I very much enjoyed your review. It was nice to see someone point out the flaws when most people are raving. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, all the changes did bother me. I read one review that said that they followed the book TOO closely. I call Bull! Thanks for your review!!

Jaime

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
3/28/2012 07:40:13 am

Thanks for your comment, Jaime. I went to see it a second time yesterday and just as many NEW things bothered me. I definitely don't think it followed the book TOO closely. I bet when you see it again (if you do) a bunch of new problems will come up for you as well:)

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Grace
1/8/2013 10:36:40 am

I was upset about Madge, I agree with Jason. But I was also pissed about Cato and Glimmer acting all lovey-dovey in the arena. Glimmer known Cato for what, two weeks? It's supposed to be Cato and CLOVE! I was also upset about Cato not coming and begging Clove to stay with him.

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Coleton
1/10/2013 02:39:51 am

There actually is a link between the mutts and tributes in the end of the movie. It isnt as big of a link as in the book, and it took me watching the movie at theatres 3 times to get it; but when Cato falls into the mutts, he yells "Glimmerrr!"

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