**WARNING! SPOILERS!!**

So I know that I am years behind everybody when it comes to this book and movie. It's already so well loved and now I know why. The Hunger Games was such an amazing book. I blew right through it and the sequel Catching Fire and I cannot wait to get my hands on Mockingjay (c'mon library!!). I rated both of those books a 5/5 on Goodreads and I hope that the third installment does not disappoint me.

Now I am somebody that wants to read a book before watching the film adaptation and Hunger Games was no exception. Although, because of how long it took me to get around to reading the book a few things were definitely spoiled for me, such as Rue's death, the dogs, and Peeta losing a leg. It didn't really affect the reading experience for me though and I feel like I got just as much out of the book had those things not been spoiled.

As I stated above I gave the book a solid 5/5, however the movie I would rate a 3.5. Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy the movie. I thought Jennifer did a great job and Josh Hutcherson was a good Peeta (Although I feel like the character was taller in the book and they MUST of had Josh in lifts or something because there is NO way to explain how they were the same height in the film! She's 5'9" and he's 5'7", but that's beside the point). The movie I felt was extremely rushed and in my personal opinion it should of at least been 30 minutes longer. Something I really liked that they did with the film was have a behind the scene's look at the Games. I also liked the scene where they showed Gale watching the kiss. That reminds me, I have say I enjoyed Katniss and Peeta's relationship so much more in the book. This goes back to what I said about feeling like the whole thing was fairly rushed.

There were some things that they cut out, shortened, and/or changed that I didn't really like. First being how she gets the mockingjay pin. I could not believe that they had her get it at the Hob. Like seriously?! Especially after reading the second book, I just feel like they should not have cut out Madge's character. The fact that Madge gave her the pin that had belonged to her Aunt, a contestant who was also a part of the Hunger Games, gave it so much more meaning. When they made it seem like it was one of a bunch in a bowl at the Hob, I think it just totally belittled the symbolism of it. Secondly, I was sad to see that Haymitch didn't have that much screen time. There were some humorous scenes in the book that involved him, and I was hoping to see that on screen. Another character that I feel didn't get as much screen time that they deserved was Rue. The time that they spent together in the book made it more heartbreaking when she was killed. The one thing surrounding Rue's death in the movie that I didn't really like was how her district started to rebel immediately following Katniss' salute. Another thing that they had changed for the movie were the notes that she received with her gifts from Haymitch. I liked how it was played in the book that she just knew what to do because her and Haymitch had a certain connection that wasn't really explainable. Oh, and the fact that she found water so fast was just...I get that it was only a 2 hour movie, but like I said it should have been at least 2.5 hours so that it wouldn't feel as super rushed as it did.

So yeah. Those are my thoughts on the movie versus the book. The book definitely won in terms of what I thought was better. The movie was still entertaining, but just didn't live up to my expectations. I still need to watch Catching Fire and I hope that it did better in terms of relating well with the book, but if it's anything like it's predecessor then I know not to set the bar too high.

Things I Didn't Like About the Movie:  
  • It felt way too rushed.
  • How Katniss got the Mockingjay pin.
  • How certain characters were either cut out or were given far less screen time.
  • The notes she got from Haymitch.
  • How she found water almost instantly.
  • District 11's rebellion immediately following Rue's death.
  • Katniss and Peeta's lack of any real relationship.
What I Did Enjoy:
  • The behind the scenes look at the Games.
  • The casting.
FINAL VERDICT:




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