Don't Judge A Book: The Hunger Games

Before I begin my guest post: The Hunger Games edition of Don't Judge A Book, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Meg. I'm married to the guy who writes this blog, and, after reading The Hunger Games, I saw the midnight showing of the movie with him. I'm 28. I write YA fiction. I have a degree in Professional Writing. I have long been a fan of kids and YA dystopian stories, and I also have a habit of sneaking food into movies. The Hunger Games was no exception. As I witnessed this particular flick, my mouth was full of cherry, lemon, pina colada, and strawberry banana Starbursts. You can read more about that here: http://verymuchmeg.blogspot.com/2012/03/starbursts-compatability-and-pain.html

 

 Ah, The Hunger Games... it has taken both cinematic and literary worlds by storm. I wish I could say I've been a fan since their inception a few years ago, but the truth is that I was confused and thought the first book was part of the Ender's Game series (which I did not like), so I didn't read it until I saw the preview for the movie and realized it was a whole different concept: something I would actually enjoy. I hurried up and read the first book the night before the midnight opening of The Hunger Games, and I'm glad I did. I have almost always read the book before seeing the movie. I don't like to be confused if the movie is poorly adapted, nor do I enjoy blindly accepting whatever it has to offer without having perspective on the source material.

That said, if your curiosity was peaked by the preview or the recent buzz, or if you're anticipating being dragged along by a friend, don't worry: you won't be complaining about wanting that couple of hours of your life back. In fact, you should be able to enjoy everything The Hunger Games movie has to offer with only a few small points of explanation, should your movie buddy have already read the book.

As for a breakdown of The Hunger Games on screen, the movie has its own strengths and weaknesses. Please note that from here on out, this Don't Judge A Book contains spoilers... not just from the first book, but from the movie and all of the books.

Movie strengths:

• Seeing it on the screen is impressive. The set, lighting, costume, and makeup designers all did a fabulous job. The sound designer, especially so. My husband (you might know him as the host of this blog) pointed out that he appreciated the lack of overwhelming music where it did not belong: a common movie flaw, to be sure.
• Great casting job.
• Some aspects of the story were difficult to picture when reading the book. I love how imaginatively they were presented in the movie.
• Getting to experience The Hunger Games as part of a crowd or group was especially enjoyable (even more than with most anticipated movies). I have heard a few people point out that it effectively casts audience members as the villain. This is an interesting seat in which to sit.

Movie weaknesses:

• Though Rue was well-cast and the actress certainly did a good job, her death isn't as meaningful as it is in the book, because viewers don't know her as well as readers did. In fact, they barely know her at all. I feel these side bits of information being withheld really detract much from her presence. If they went to all the trouble to include her character, why not really introduce her to the audience?
• A piggyback complaint about the whole Rue storyline: how long would it have taken to show Katniss getting the bread parachute gift from District 11? What a wonderfully powerful and tear-jerking moment The Hunger Games movie-makers passed up! ...and, for what? 30-60 seconds of screen time? If they already felt the film was too long, why not take a chunk of the time Katniss is mourning Rue and put it to better use?
• My husband, who didn't read the book before seeing the movie, was confused by the flashbacks with Peeta and the bread. Since it is such an important scene in the book, it should've been presented more clearly in the movie.
• I'm torn on this one, because I feel this side plot wasn't properly developed in the books, but it disappointed me to see Katniss getting the mockingjay pin from someone other than Madge in the movie, and I was really looking forward to seeing her character on screen. At the same time, because no deeper plot develops about her aunt and Mrs. Everdeen's friendship, and you don't learn any more than just that she was in The Hunger Games, I can see why they might have seen introducing her character as a waste. Still, Katniss being jealous of her possible flirtation with Gale could really highten tensions later. And I'm having trouble figuring out how Katniss will acquire the information she does in the mayor's house without Madge's character being introduced at some point.

Though I have a few complaints (mainly things I was disappointed not to see), I understand why most of the choices were made when the movie was being put together. I trust that, since the author was so involved with the screenwriting process, she has her reasons for signing off on things being included, excluded, or presented a certain way. The changes would have bothered me more if she wasn't one of the screenwriters. To be honest, they might also have bugged me more if I'd been a Hunger Games fan for years instead of a day by the time I saw the movie, though I was deeply impacted by all three books, and I consider myself a fan of them now.

I would definitely say to both readers of The Hunger Games and non-readers of the books that you should go see The Hunger Games in the theater. It may even be worth the extra to pay for an IMAX viewing, if one is available and you enjoy that sort of thing. Upon our return home from the movie theater after the opening showing, I was telling my husband that I would've liked to have seen it in a theater with a curved movie screen—something as close to 360 degrees as possible. I feel it would've facilitated a different experience: one where an audience member feels as if he or she is actually in the arena with the tributes. Maybe being cast as a tribute as opposed to a spectator of The Hunger games would lead to a whole different takeoff on this fabulous movie.