Movie Madness: The Hunger Games

Movie Madness occasionally goes by the name TV Talk. Either way, it's a feature I do once a month or so about pop culture outside of the book world. And, although this is way overdue, this month's topic is The Hunger Games. Please don't read this if you haven't read the books, or if you don't want the movie ruined for you. I tried to keep away from spoilers but I don't want to risk it.

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Let me start this off by saying that this is the first book-to-film adaptation that I have ever liked. This isn't a so-so like, this isn't a well-it-was-decent like, it's a LIKE like. It stuck by the book completely, except for minor variations which were either necessary or very cool. For instance, my favorite scene in the movie (the uprising in Rue's district) wasn't in the novel but it captured the essence of HG so well that I didn't care. 

My favorite parts:

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Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. She was brilliant and simply perfect for the role. I sincerely apologize for ever doubting her ability to play Katniss. My favorite scene with her was, of course, when she shoots the arrow through the apple during her session with the Gamekeepers.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. I am so in love with Josh Hutcherson. He completely encompasses the role, so much so that I would forget that he's an actor playing a part.

How closely it stuck to the book. Seriously, it didn't change the plot (ahem, Percy Jackson) or delete important characters (ahem, Percy Jackson). And even though I knew what was coming, I was still riveted by what was going on onscreen. 

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Naturally, there were some disappointments, and these were the three big ones:

The red-haired Avox girl. Where was she? Seriously, although she's only there for about two chapters, she's one of my favorite characters in the book. 

The mutt-ations. Instead of the creepy pack of dogs that look like fallen Tributes, there were maybe four wild dogs (that did not look like Tributes) that chased them. It was irritating, to say the least.

Katniss' first dress. I felt the little capes of fire were a little anticlimactic, although the second dress was gorgeous. 

Overall, I thought The Hunger Games was fantastic and I was thrilled to see that Suzanne Collins had helped write the screenplay. I left with my HG enthusiasm renewed, fangirling over Peeta, and more than relieved that the story had been left intact. Of course, now that I actually like a book-turned-movie, the director of HG probably isn't returning. Apparently, the odds aren't ever in my favor, haha. 

Still, I'm hopeful for Catching Fire.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?