If you haven't guessed by now, this post is gonna be all about The Hunger Games!
I've seen the movie twice now, and I can say without a doubt, it's even better the second time around!
The thing that pleased me most about the movie is that it didn't butcher the book. It stayed true for the most part. There were some things that they changed (i.e.-like Prim giving Katniss the Mockingjay pin instead of Madge) and scenes they condensed in the movie what were way longer in the book ( i.e.- Katniss was on the brink of dying of thirst before she got some water. In the movie, she found it right off the bat.)
I completely understand why they did this. If you're not obsessed with The Hunger Games and haven't been waiting years for this book to go to the silver screen, then you probably wouldn't want to sit through a 5 hour movie...
but since I'm obsessed, I wouldn't have a problem with it. *grin*
and I KNOW there are plenty out there who wouldn't mind it being 5 hours either...shoutout to y'all! hehe :p
After reading all three books in a timespan of probably only a few weeks, I figured I fit in the category of "fandom". For months I was obsessing over these books and this movie that just came out! I even have a tab up at the top that goes to my Hunger Games page on my blog.
Pretty sad, right?
See this is what happens when avid book readers finally get to see their favorite books transformed in movies.
Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games trilogy) helped write out the screenplay, so if she was okay with some changes to the movie, then, by golly, if its good enough for her then it's good enough for me :)
I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of the movie, but here are some things that won me over:
1. The Cast
(from left to right: Isabelle Fuhrman (Clove), Jack Quaid (Marvel), Jacqueline Emerson (Fox Face), Dayo Okeniyi (Thresh), Leven Rambin (Glimmer), Alexander Ludwig (Cato), Amandla Stenberg (Rue), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Liam Hemsworth (Gale))
So many people I know don't like Josh Hutcherson as Peeta or Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and when I ask them who they think should have been cast for those respective parts, they can't give me a name.
Now, it doesn't take that much to please me, so just the reality of The Hunger Games finally becoming a movie was enough for me. Sure, I know that if the casting is off, the movie will most likely be horrible, but for me for this movie, EVERY casting decisions was SPOT ON.
A couple years ago, I saw Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone and immediately liked this chick. She has a great emotional range at her age, and when I found out she was cast as Katniss, I knew she'd be perfect. In fact, when pictures started coming out months ago for the movie, I was struck at how much she looked like the Katniss I envisioned while reading the books.
Alright, I admit it, when I first found out Josh Hutcherson was cast as Peeta, I had my doubts. But even before I saw the movie, when I was finding all these interviews with him and pictures from all these fandom blogs, I grew to like the idea of him as Peeta. By the time I saw the movie, I was hoping that these fandom blogs hadn't tricked me into liking him as much as I did when I shouldn't have...
Josh proved me wrong immensely! He *is* Peeta. After seeing it twice, I can't imagine someone else portraying him. Team Peeta! <3
So, thank you Jennifer and Josh for bringing two of my favorite characters to life and for portraying them so amazingly!
2. Panem -from the Capitol to District 12
Suzanne Collins had so much detail in her books, and it would have been a shame if they didn't put any TLC into the sets, costumes, and beyond...luckily, they put enough TLC into it, and then some! Every scene, every district, every costume, and the Capitol were beautifully constructed and captured. Panem is actually a post-apocalyptic version of North America, but in every place you see, it feels like a foreign, mystical land.
This is one of many constructed maps people have made and where they think each district is located. I liked this map the best even though I'm not even in a district. I'm on the fringe of District 13. Oh well...At least I don't have to worry about getting chosen for the Games at The Reaping ;)
3. Stayed true to the book!
FINALLY. A book-turned-movie that Hollywood didn't botch.
That deserves a round of applause because you don't see that happen to often. *clap clap clap* ;)
Of course, I know they condensed scenes and all that. I'm sure to most, they wouldn't want to watch Katniss find water for 30 mins....of course, that's all a matter of opinion :D
Personally, I would've loved the cave scenes to have been a bit longer. And I wish Katniss's hair and makeup team, like Portia, got more screen time (and some lines for that matter). Cinna should've gotten more screen time too. That guy is the bomb.com! Lenny Kravitz, you rocked that gold eyeliner like a boss!
Here's hoping there are *a lot* of deleted and extended scenes in the DVD release.
If you haven't been able to see this movie yet, I feel sorry for you! If you haven't read the books, I feel devastated for you! If you haven't even heard of The Hunger Games until now, then I feel mortified for you! hehe
Get to the theater. Bring your girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse or your best friend. This movie might shock you at the brutality between teenagers, but if you want to know why Suzanne Collins would even write a book like this, read this interview to better understand and how she was inspired.
Hope you enjoyed my take on the movie.
and...
May the odds be ever in your favor.
...Until we see the Girl on Fire again,
ERW
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