By Blake Crenwelge
Have you ever read a book series and then waited in anticipation for the movie to come out only to be disappointed? Well, rest assured The Hunger Games will not disappoint you. When word hit the streets that The Hunger Games would be made into a movie, fans were jumping out of their socks with excitement. The novel was recognized as a #1 New York Times Bestseller and received several other awards. It only made sense that the movie would be everything the fans could hope for.
The movie follows the novel almost perfectly. Admittedly, they do cut out a couple scenes, but without doing that, the movie would be way too long. While the novel initially presents Gale as a platonic friend, the movie tends to shoot straight toward romance, saving time and presenting Katniss’ internal conflict as she is forced to choose Peeta in the games. The book has more details and does a better job of explaining the weird love triangle going on, while the movie gives you a more simplified version. Also, Peeta makes so many sacrifices, and the movie didn’t always do him justice.
When the tributes are all running towards the Cornucopia at the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games, the movie captures the bloodshed and horror of what they have to do to survive. The fact that these tributes are mere kids, our own age, is horrendous, yet the movie allows us to understand to a certain degree how they’re feeling. I commend the movie on this scene; it does a stunning job at displaying the grimness of a world where mere children die in the name of a corrupt government. However, no matter how good the movie is, it isn’t as intriguing or emotional as reading the book.
Some of you may not be into reading because it’s for “nerds”, but let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like it. While I was reading The Hunger Games, it would feel like seconds had passed when it had actually been hours. I got so caught up in the thrill of Katniss trying to survive the savageness of the games while dealing with her feelings for Peeta. By reading the book I got to feel as if I was right there beside Katniss. I felt her loss when Rue died and again when the gamekeeper announced there could only be one victor.
I highly recommend reading the books before watching the movie for a more in depth experience.
