The big thing to do now is to apparently read young adult novels and the movies that follow them. It started off with Harry Potter
The story is about an a post apocolyptic United States now called Panem, where the wealthy control the poor through the use of not only power, but by these highly guarded districts and a nationwide, television event known as the Hunger Games. Our main character is Katniss, who is played by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence in the movie, and she is this tough female protagonist with a rough exterior, and soft mushy interior. When her sister on her very first Reaping, the event that chooses who competes in the Hunger Games, is chosen, Katniss steps in and takes her place. It goes from a story about the struggle of living with starvation and poverty, to a story about struggling to just live and maybe even…love???
via – wikipediaIn novel form, it’s a first person adventure where we get to hear Katniss’ every waking thought, and it’s a weird read. I’ve read the Twilight series, to my chagrin, and as poorly written as it was, I never thought it was weird, just bad. Note, I’ve never finished the series, and I am NOT going to. But that’s beside the point. The Hunger Games is weird, but at least you actually care about the characters and what’s going on. It takes a good 1/3 of the book for me to get over the really wonky writing and really get into the action. And boy does it have a lot of action. For a book, that I was told was geared towards teenage girls, this really has a lot going on for the guys, and apparently a book for any age…above teens I guess.
The great part about the book is that you get to see and understand all of Katniss’ actions. She tells you her motivations, she gives you the reasons behind her anger and hate, and you end up learning with her, who she really is. There’s a lot of action, and there’s violence, and as I’ve been told, this book is geared towards the ladies. As a result there’s some odd, coming of age, romance. What made me like that bit is that it is true to Geek Love Radio in who falls in love and how they go about showing off their affections. Time during the games takes up most of the book and it’s just a fun read. The writing is decent and has enough going on to keep you moving forward. I genuinely wanted to know what happened next, every chapter. The love and romance part is very good too, it’s not over the top, realistic, and reminds us that even women can sometimes be clueless about matters of the heart.
So, now the movie. Yep, that was a good sentence. The movie stays fairly true to the book, and I probably should not have watched the movie just an hour after I finished reading the book. It made the movie a much different experience. Anything that did not come up in the movie, I filled in with what I read in the book. I kind of wish I didn’t read it before watching this thing. So when something was missing, I’d note it, and fill in the gaps with things I’ve read. But what I liked most about this movie, is seeing the behind the scenes events that didn’t happen in the novel. We weren’t following Katniss the entire time, we got to see how and why things happened to her and her other Tributes.
The acting was above average with no one really setting themselves apart. Jennifer Lawrence fit Katniss well, and she’s way more good looking than I pictured Katniss from the books. Therefore, for me as a guy, I was happy to just watch her on screen the entire time showing her teenage angst and rebellion. Yeah, she’s pretty…
Donald Sutherland was cool to was and played an entertainingly (is that a word?) evil man as the President of Panem. Then there is Stanley Tucci, who made a great Caesar Fickerman with his winning smile, and charismatic demeanor. I want to say his teeth were fake, but I don’t know. The surprise for me, and I guess I wasn’t much of a fanboy because I had no idea he was in the movie, was Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. That was cool to see, and though he had few lines, every time he was on screen, he was pretty memorable and come one…it’s Woody Heelson!
The movie was two and a half hours long and I still felt it wasn’t long enough, as with most books turned into movies. It was fast paced, with a lot of nods to those who read the novel, and I think it’d a little confusing at certain points for those who didn’t read the book. The mockingjay pin was the first thing I noticed in the movie that kind of threw me off. A token from the District where Katniss is from, Katniss gets it for her sister Prim to give her luck during the Reaping. Well, Prim gets picked for the games when her odds are way against her, so there’s no luck there. And then, Prim gives it back to Katniss for luck when Katniss takes her place! No wonder “s” hits the fan when Katniss gets into the Hunger Games. She had that damn pin with her.
So here are my reviews for the book and the movie. The Hunger Games, as a start for the trilogy was solid, with some first person writing that takes some time getting used to, but some great insight into a strong female character. I am compelled to finish this series, because the characters are likable and you are left wanting to see what happens to her, her love interests and the future of District 12. I give it 9 out of 13 Districts. [okay okay, 8 out of 10]
The movie had to be an abridged version of the book, but without Katniss’ insight, her actions seem strange sometimes and the romance that builds, is so quick, that I have a hard time feeling anything for them. Not enough development there. All in all, I did like the action and the story and would watch it again to avoid the squealing tweens to truly appreciate it, but it left me wanting more. I came out of the film still hungry. I’m giving this 20 out of 24 tributes. [for now a 7.5 out of 10]. All in all it was a Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.
