I adore the dystopian genre. About ten years ago, it was HUGE. One of the biggest dystopian series out there was The Hunger Games!
The BOOK
The first time I read this novel, I was hooked. From the moment Katniss volunteers as tribute, I was glued to the wild ride this story would be.
Almost everyone knows the story, so I won't recount that here. If you enjoy young adult and dystopian stories like Divergent and the Maze Runner, you will absolutely love this one.
One of my favorite things about Katniss is that she is literally just trying to live her life. She's trying to survive. She wants to make sure that her family can eat the next year. She's not thinking about glory or breaking the system. That part of it gets thrust on her when people read into her attempt to save herself and Peeta at the end as some political statement. I can relate a lot to not having control of your life, as well as having to live in a world that tries to make you out to be something you're not.
Of note, I was torn between Peeta and Gale until Catching Fire, when Peeta said "...but the baby..."
The MOVIE
No one can convince me that this movie was not perfectly cast. From Jennifer Lawrence to Woody Harrelson, to Elizabeth Banks, each and every single actor portrayed the characters from the novel so well.
I loved getting to see the world written by Collins on the big screen. Dystopian is my favorite genre, and I love seeing what the world is like after it ends. This one was no different. I enjoyed getting to see life in the districts versus the capitol. I loved getting to see the fancy costumes of those who live in the capital.
My least favorite thing is how much of Katniss's inner thoughts you lose from the page to the screen. Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job portraying most of what Katniss is thinking, but there were so many moments in the book that I absolutely wished would have been able to be on screen.
Rue's death gets me every. single. time.
I loved getting to see what was happening in the capitol while the games were on. Seeing Haymitch negotiate for Katniss was really great, and something we missed out on in the novel, since it was Katniss's perspective. Plus, Woody Harrelson is just perfection in that role.
I didn't like some of the changes they made. Mainly, the final battle in the arena when the dogs come running. They were supposed to actually look like the fallen tributes. I also didn't like that Peeta and Katniss weren't nearly as beat up as they were in the book. I mean, Peeta needed a prosthetic leg after the games.
Final THOUGHTS
Overall, I wasn't unhappy with the adaptation from page to screen. I love when Hollywood gets it as right as they can, given that they can't just have narration over the entire thing. Most people have already read and/or seen this movie, but...there's nothing to say you can't re-watch it! :)
Abbie