Can we have a Hunger Games Movie thread?

[Jayelle]

The Cornucopia and tracker jacker scenes didn't bother me. It was the opening scenes, where she's running around the forest and hunting, that made me dizzy.

I totally agree. I felt dizzy and kept hoping the whole movie wouldn't be like that.

[Luet]

Funny, I didn't even notice shaky camera in the beginning scenes.

[Syphon the Sun]

I don't know that it was shaky, per se. But it was a lot of super-fast cutaways.

[Noodle]

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[v-girl]

I finally saw this yesterday. I thought the movie was beautiful in terms of the scenery and costumes and such. The tracker jacker scene was so terrifying and perfect! I thought it was one of the best scenes of the movie. I also loved Rue and thought the young actress playing her was fantastic.

I was disappointed by some of the changes they made, many of which I felt were just so unnecessary. Why not add five minutes of backstory for Madge and the Mockingjay pin? As soon as Prim opened her hand with the pin I was mad. That was so early on in the movie, so I was just preparing myself for other small but annoying changes.

[Luet]

The pin origin change didn't bother me as much as the ending did. The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. In the book, it's obvious that Peeta is really upset when he finds out that Katniss was pretending (to have feelings for him) for the games. In the movie, they make it seem like he assumed it was pretend. I don't know, I felt like the changes at the end really threw off the dynamics between the characters.

[Tiny genius]

Damn. This is all a**backwards.
I didn't find the hunting scenes bad at all. What I mind you don't and vise versa, forgive the double expletive but kuzo-merde.

[UnnDunn]

Just saw the movie last weekend. Haven't read the books, so I don't have that perspective. That said...

I went in expecting a fantasy sci-fi Battle Royale mixed with Survivor and was largely pleased with what I got. I found it horribly cliched at times (did Haymitch really have to be drunk? How awfully convenient that Peeta harbored a crush on Katniss and they wound up in the Games together... How nice of them to put a token black character in only to have her die...) Maybe those things were all in the book, but that doesn't make them any less cliched.

That said, I found it mostly entertaining, and that's about as much as I expect from Hollywood these days.

[neo-dragon]

(did Haymitch really have to be drunk? How awfully convenient that Peeta harbored a crush on Katniss and they wound up in the Games together... How nice of them to put a token black character in only to have her die...)

Haymitch is a drunk because not only did he have to live through the horror or the Hunger Games himself, every year for most of his life he's had to train tributes only to watch them die. It's not hard to believe that he would turn to alcohol as an escape.

I think it would actually have been more cliched if Katniss was the one with the crush. In fact, in most respects Peeta takes the traditionally female role. Katniss is the better hunter/warrior, and she protects him towards the end. What's Peeta's special skill? Baking. The fact that there's a crush at all is actually a very important part of the plot, and Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch all play-up the cliche to various extents to increase their chances in the arena. So I'd say there's actually a fair amount of depth there.

Actually, there are three black characters. Two of them being tributes kinda makes their deaths a foregone conclusion along with the 20 white kids who die, and the third, Cinna, is arguably one of the most noble and likable characters in the entire series. I wouldn't say that blacks were given the shaft here.

[Tiny genius]

It's interesting to me how people who haven't read the books see the movie. My dad saw it without reading it and couldn't figure out why they had the games. I think he didn't read the Treaty of Treason at the start of the film. I can see how they didn't do too good a job of explaining Haymitch's alcoholism but I read the book first so it didn't cross my mind, I just got it. There is no mention of skin-color in the books (okay, a little but not much) and I can't see too well anyway so it doesn't matter to me.
As for the whole crush thing, it had to be there otherwise there wouldn't be a story. It'd just be like every other Hunger Games.

(FYI, Haymitch had to live through twice the horror with his games).

[JohnPaulWiggin]

I had read all three books before the movie, and I'm very glad I had. I'm not sure if not having read the books would have made me like the movie more or less, but I'm glad I knew all the back story and details of everything that was going. There was lots of stuff in there just for people who had read the books that really wasn't explained for people who hadn't. Also, there were some things that are just impossible to translate from text to film. While seeing some of these in the movie was disappointing, it didn't bother me too much since I knew what it was "supposed" to look like.

One example was their cat back home in District 12. In the book the cat is a somewhat important character, or at least an important tool through which we learn more about Katniss, her family, and her lifestyle. In the movie there was nothing but a hiss which meant absolutely nothing to someone who hadn't read the book, but I knew what the reference was for.

One thing I had a major problem with was that in the moviethe mutts kill Thresh. In the book, the last we "see" of Thresh is when he grabs the backpacks and takes off with Cato following him. How he dies is never said, speculation is that Cato killed him, but either way it happens well before the mutts appear, doesn't it? I think I was also disappointed that we really don't get to see Katniss shoot anything, just lots of scenes of her eating things that we have to assume she killed. And of course, the movie does not come close to matching the books emotional power, such as what an important character Rue is in the book, and how at the end of the games Peeta and Katniss should have been clinging to life, not looking like they are a shower away from perfect health.

As for the characters, I thought Katniss was good. Much more of an adult woman than I pictured Katniss but Jennifer Lawrence made it work. Peeta and Gale were fine. I loved pretty much everyone else. Lenny Kravitz looked so much like "my" Cinna I couldn't believe it. Haymitch wasn't quite what I pictured but I love Woody Harrelson and I enjoyed his take on the character and can't wait to see him in the next films. Effie and President Snow were good, and while I enjoyed Stanley Tucci, the whole time I was reading the books I was picturing the game show host from Slumdog Millionaire, so I guess I was a little disappointed that they look absolutely nothing alike.

[Jayelle]

(psst...when the thread topic says "with spoilers", it's okay not to use spoiler tags)

[JohnPaulWiggin]

haha thanks, didn't notice that

[TerresaWiggin]

Just saw the movie last weekend. Haven't read the books, so I don't have that perspective. That said...

I went in expecting a fantasy sci-fi Battle Royale mixed with Survivor and was largely pleased with what I got. I found it horribly cliched at times (did Haymitch really have to be drunk? How awfully convenient that Peeta harbored a crush on Katniss and they wound up in the Games together... How nice of them to put a token black character in only to have her die...) Maybe those things were all in the book, but that doesn't make them any less cliched.

That said, I found it mostly entertaining, and that's about as much as I expect from Hollywood these days.

Sorry but not reading books before movies is a total pet peeve of mine! On the other hand I do think that the movie was good and in this case your situation was not a total loss BUT tisk tisk to you!