So I just saw The Hunger Games

[giandujakiss]

I haven't read the books. What with all the hype for the movie, I was trying to decide whether to read the books, and then I remembered that, in my experience, people who read the book before seeing the movie are frequently disappointed in the movie, but people who see the movie first and then read the book often enjoy both, so I didn't.

Anyhoo, I have to say, the thing that disturbed the hell out of me more than anything else was -



That Katniss had to put on a romantic show with Peeta for the audience. That's how it was supposed to read, right? That she liked him well enough but her true love was Gale? I found that part way more disturbing than the rest of it. Although honestly, she had more chemistry with Cinna than with anyone else in the movie.

Overall, I was totally entertained and genuinely eager to see what would happen next, but it felt like there was supposed to be more there there than there actually was, which I assume comes from what was taken out of the books. Among other things, I was sort of disappointed that after all of the build up about the importance of sponsors, we barely saw them or their largesse. I assume that the reaction of the audience and the gifts they bestow are a bigger part of the book? I also felt like Katniss should have been forced to commit more ruthless acts - another thing that I suspect may occur more in the book? And of course, the actual hunger part seems to have been removed entirely.

Anyhoo, I gather from FList/DWircle posts that I should read the books, or at least the first one. So I plan to do that.

Comments

[kore]

....yeah, apparently Jennifer Lawrence is blowing the roof off with her acting, but....she's really not the Katniss in my head. Katniss sounds like one of those people whose light eyes stand out in high contrast, and Lawrence just doesn't look like that at all, despite the fake tan.

[giandujakiss]

I can't speak to how she's characterized in the book, but I really enjoyed watching her in the movie - she's the best thing in it. (Peeta, by contrast, I think is a casting disaster - he's shockingly bland). I really appreciated that she convinced me of her physical toughness - she totally looks like she could survive in the woods and kick your ass.

[kore]

Yeah, everyone says it's a starmaking performance - maybe she'll get nominated for an Oscar again!

[giandujakiss]

Nah, they don't do that for sci fi.

[katewrites]

Random comment trolling, but he is equally bland in the books. Part of why I found him so offensive is that he's literally the "nice guy" stereotype. And despite living in the same district as Katniss, there is a scene at the end of the book where he's shocked that Katniss wasn't madly in love with him, or that it might have been a show on her part to help them both survive the games.

[giandujakiss]

Well, then it was appropriate casting, then. But it was sort of annoying, to have someone so dull take up so much screen time. And he was so bland it left me sort of clueless as to how, as an audience member, I was supposed to react to him.