Having
been so caught up in the frenzy of all things The Hunger Games, I had high
expectations for best selling series by Suzanne Collins. I'm happy to report that Hollywood didn't
botch the best seller in 142 minutes. The movie did a great job interpreting the
book. Was it like the book? Hell no.
It never is. Since the book is
from Katniss' POV, there were aspects that they had to improvise, but
overall, I enjoyed it.
When
you’re dealing with a successful book, which this one happens to be my favorite
in the series, you automatically know the movie won't capture all the book’s
nuances. Still, as a lover of fiction,
you pray that your favorite parts are not ignored. That being said, it was sort
of a mixed bag. All parts leading up to and
the suspense from "the games" were indeed there.
I thought Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job depicting our heroine. That said, I was disappointed when scenes
like when Katniss first discovers Peeta has an alliance with the Careers from
the onset of the games. In the book, that
scene was riveting. Katniss was shocked,
but manages to play it up for the cameras. That sort of literary brilliance fell short in
the film. Also, I thought the bread scene; Katniss and Peeta's “beginning” was sort of a missed opportunity too. But hey…what are ya gonna do?
If
you love the book, chances are you’ll like to movie. For me, The Hunger Games movie was a 4 (unlike the book which in my review I rated a 5.) Why? To be honest, the ending was a slight disappointment. The
scene/ reveal with Peeta & Katniss in the book was heartbreaking. The movie, however, seemed to pass this over. As far as characters, some were on
point, others were okay. I won’t tell
you which ones. I’ll let you be the judge. My husband who didn’t read the book and knows
very little of the story thought it was awesome. He loves classic and sci-fi movies like Usual
Suspects, The Godfather or Star Wars and Matrix. That should give you a different perspective if
you haven’t read the book.
Mina B.
13 comments:
I haven't read the book, but I do plan to see the movie when the furor dies down.
And Mina, did you know you have word verification on?
I wish you'd read it, but I totally understand. I'm sure you'll enjoy the movie. Let me know. :)
Thanks for the WV notice. Blogger has my befuddled at the moment. :)
I enjoyed the movie, overall, although like you, I noticed that there were certain things different in the movie than in the book. Still, I'm very much looking forward to Catching Fire, though I hear that's not going to be released until near the end of 2013. Aaak!
The film doesn't really get going until they actually do get to The Hunger Games, but when it does get started up its entertaining, tense, unpredictable, and very well executed from Gary Ross. I also couldn’t believe that this was his 3rd film after other flicks such as Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, which are both good but are different from this one. Still though, great jobs from everybody involved and I cannot wait for the sequel. Good review Mina.
I think I liked it more than you did, but I agree with you...the movie hardly ever compares with the book, especially a book as amazing as The Hunger Games. Sadly, it's simply impossible to crap all that awesome into one 2 1/2 hour movie.
Haven't seen it yet. Or read the book (I know, I know). I'm glad you enjoyed the movie overall and the fact that you like the book more isn't surprising - most adaptations run with that reputation. :)
I didn't manage to get to see it this weekend sadly, but my son went and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am very excited to see it and will probably go this weekend. Just about to finish the 3rd book now. Love it and love the whole series. Fab writing. Glad you enjoyed it.
I read the books, and had a love/hate relationship with them. I think you described pretty well the way I feel about the movie. I liked it a lot, and think it does fall short of the books in some ways but that is to be expected. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, Mina! I haven't seen it yet, but I'm planning to this weekend. :D
I read the first book, loved it but also hated it! Anyway, I think I'll spare myself from watching it on the big screen. Maybe I'll be tempted when it comes out on DVD.
Anyway, I love coming over here to lurk and read your reviews. So, I've left you a blog award. Come on over when you get the chance. Besides, I think a birght yellow flower under your Dracula banner would be smashing! (;
I'm always a bit sceptical when things are this massive (was disappointed with both book and film versions of Harry Potter and Twilight), but still I would quite like to see the film. I would approach it with an open mind!
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I know I will. Movies rarely capture all the emotions of the book, but a 4 is still a great rating. Thanks for sharing your review,
A book movie is a snack; the book is the full meal. I just read the book, and I really liked it - so much suspense! I liked that the premise was so grim, yet Katniss' narration made us go along with it as if it were a normal part of life, so it wasn't so grim as to be unbearable. I'm sure I'll have to see the movie at some point.
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