Book to Movie: The Hunger Games

Guys, The Hunger Games! It happened! It was epic! So much has already been said that I will not attempt to be coherent -- I just want to share my own opinions. I'll start with the negative because I want to end on a positive note. {SPOILERS follow}

Things I didn't like:
1. Peeta seemed kind of cheesy. Granted, I wasn't a huge Peeta fan in the first book, anyway. I mean, I liked him, I thought he was sweet, but I was Team Gale all the way at first. I can't tell if Peeta was portrayed as slightly less awesome than he really is, or if it is just the same thing I experienced with the first book, but he didn't quite wow me.
2. So much was left unexplained. I know, I know, it is a movie, and we don't have the privilege of being inside Katniss' head. And I think they did the best they could -- we can tell there is tension between Katniss and her mother, we can tell that Katniss is not quite all there in the cave with Peeta, etc. But I wondered if I could tell because I had read the books, or if the movie was really portraying it accurately, if that makes sense.
3. I wish that you could tell that the Mutts were made from the tributes. That was such a total piece of creepiness, and it is missing in the movie.

Things I liked:
1. Gale. I know he has been mocked as a mouth breather and a brooder, but I loved him. I was Team Gale for a long, long time, and Liam Hemsworth surpassed my expectations. When he is waiting for Katniss at the end, with Prim on his shoulders, I melted a little bit.

2. Effie Trinket was beyond amazing. Well done, Elizabeth Banks.

3. I was also a fan of Cinna. For some reason, I could never quite picture him in the books. I feel like Lenny Kravitz did a good job of portraying Cinna's tenderness toward Katniss, despite the limited screen time.

4. Katniss as the Girl Who Was On Fire. I loved the costumes. I also loved how the interview scene was portrayed.

5. In fact, Katniss in general. It is undeniable that Jennifer Lawrence is a stellar actress. There was not a single scene where she disappointed me. Even though so much is left unsaid in the movie, she does as well as anyone humanly could in conveying the unsaid sections.
6. The Rue scene. Sad, sad, sad, but well done.
7. The end near-suicide scene. This is the one scene that completely redeemed Peeta for me in this movie. The absolutely hopeless look on his face, the way he reaches out to tug Katniss' braid -- I loved him.

8. Seneca Crane was impeccable.

9. I know some people complained about this, but my brilliant husband, who has taken a film class, explained to me that the shaky camera, the way up close shots of Effie during the Reaping, and the ringing you hear after the Careers' food supply is blown up are all film techniques to help you be in the mind of the character. While I wouldn't have picked up on this on my own, being able to think about it made me really appreciate it. I think it was very effective.

What did you think of the movie?

Why I Read... Dystopian Fiction

I remember my first exposure to The Hunger Games. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my two brand new roommates that I didn't know very well yet, and one of them started reading out loud from the first chapter. After finishing it, she retreated to her room and read steadily until morning, after which she promptly collapsed into an exhausted heap and slept through the day.

Accordingly, the next weekend I decided to finish the book that Krista had been so absorbed in the weekend before. And I did exactly the same thing. It was the first time that I had ever pulled an all-nighter to finish a book. After that, I patiently waited for each new book of the trilogy to come out, and pounced on them as soon as possible (always timing my pouncing with the weekend, of course, so I would have no interruptions).

Honestly, The Hunger Games wasn't my first exposure to dystopian fic. I loved The Giver (the first time I read it, at least... the subsequent three times it was assigned for class didn't quite thrill me as much). I was fascinated and horrified by Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. So it really isn't a surprise that with the new trend of dystopian fiction in YA, I was one of the masses to be sucked in.

Why I Read Dystopian Fiction

* A mirror into our own society. I think dystopian fiction gives readers a chance to look at attributes of daily life and ethical dilemmas that, taken to excess, could lead to disastrous consequences. It gives us the chance to evaluate structures and systems that we have in place, and things that we should maybe change.

* Emotionally charged. Because these dystopias take situations that, on first glance, look appealing (No war? Yes please!), I find that my emotional reactions to them are very strong. I love being able to relate to a book, and even 

* Thrilling. These tend to be page turners. And while in general I prefer a character-driven story, every once in a while the excitement and intensity of a good dystopian is just what I need. 

* Love triangles. I'm totally kidding, as far as that being the reason why I read dystopian books. But it does seem to be an unwritten requirement for most of them. 

Recommendations

* 1984 by George Orwell. To me, this is the mother of all dystopian books -- the first book I ever read where the government had absolute, terrifying control. 

* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The most terrifying of any dystopian literature to a book lover -- a land where books are illegal and burned by firemen? Where people sleep with headphones in their ears... oh wait, that already happens (the headphone thing, not the books. Obvs). 

* The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge this series. The world Suzanne Collins created is terrifying but engaging, and the politics of control with hunger is hideously fascinating. 

* Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I unabashedly adored this book, set in a future where love has been eradicated by a neural procedure at the age of 18. 

For more recommendations, visit...

The Story Siren. Kristi reads a wide variety of YA books, but I've found that the dystopian lit that she reads is usually right up my alley. 

Mockingjay

I loved this book.

I have to admit, I was a little worried because I had heard from everyone I knew that it wasn't as good as the other two Hunger Games books, that the ending was disappointing, that it was an unsatisfying way to end the trilogy that has kept us all enthralled the last few years.

I had nothing to worry about. For me, this book was more powerful and more engrossing than any of the other books. There was something raw and moving in Mockingjay that the other installments of the trilogy did not offer. I think it might be the realization that you could lose something you always took for granted - not something like a car or running water. Something essential. And there are harder ways to lose it than death. I think the situation was more moving to me because it wasn't wrapped up in the novel and glamour (however macabre) that surrounded the arenas in the first two books. While the situations in the first two books were no less desperate, the war in this final book seemed more like something I might have to face some day, which was maybe why it moved me more.

There are books, music and movies that grip me more intensely than others - they leave a mark that most stories do not. There are many things I've read or watched or listened to that I genuinely love, even though it didn't have a powerful effect on me. However, these "gripping" stories are the ones that stay with me and change my perspectives on things. And even though Mockingjay is a "media for the masses" type of book, one that is mainly for entertainment and thrill factor, there were moments that made me stop and wonder about my relationships and what I would or would not be willing to sacrifice in the face of desperation.

Anyway, enough about my deep emotional connection. I won't give away who lives or dies or if Katniss is finally able to make up her mind about who she loves, but I will say that I switched from Camp Gale to Camp Peeta very early on in this book, not for the reasons one would expect. I guess this make sense because I am married to a Peeta, not a Gale. I was always more attracted to Gale's handsome intensity in the first two books, but in this one I think I learned to appreciate the compassion and unconditional love that Peeta represents.

I have to add to this review because I remembered something else I loved about this book. Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta. This love story practically brought me to tears. (And don't worry, I'm not giving anything away. The main part of it actually occurs in the 2nd book). I love how Finnick, the dashing, desired, debonair celebrity loves the beautiful but broken and slightly deranged Annie Cresta. I told my husband that and I think it confused him why I thought it was so romantic, so I'll try to explain. I think Finnick was able to see beyond the shattered woman who had been through so many tragedies that he could relate to. I think he could see the strong, determined, desperate woman who was able to win the Hunger Games in her day, and even though that woman had been destroyed by her experiences in the arena, he was able to see her and bring her back a little bit with his love. Getting further insight into this love story was another gift of this book.

So... I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would read it again. I would also recommend reading all the books in the series close together. I read them as they came out and waited in between for the next book, but I read the books so quickly that I couldn't remember them as well when I read the next book. I know it's hard because the books are so good, but try to savor them a little bit!