'The Hunger Games' - Book vs. Movie

I watched ‘The Hunger Games’ the weekend after opening weekend. I was looking forward to the movie because of all the hype and I had just finished the book in two days. Literally, if you haven’t read the book, it only takes you a day (or two days at the most) to finish the book. The first two chapters are slow but it gets exciting after that.

I never knew about ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy until the trailer. Since I kept hearing about it, my brother bought the trilogy set two weeks prior to the movie coming out. I think I shouldn’t have read the book before the movie and I probably would have liked it much more. My friend didn’t read the book and she enjoyed the movie.

It’s probably little details comparing the book to the movie but I also know that the director can’t possibly put in every detail (and they change things to fit their vision). I’m not really going to do a review on either the book or movie. Instead, here are some things my brother, my cousin and I thought about while comparing the book to the movie.

1. In the book, Katniss gets the mockingjay pin from District 12’s mayor’s daughter prior to Katniss leaving on the train to go to the Capitol. In the movie, she finds it in a bunch of junk while she was buying something. Now you wouldn’t know from the movie but the mockingjay has significance during the rebellion. Maybe it will come up in the sequel.
2. 2.     In the book, Haymitch falls during the reaping but in the movie, you don’t meet him till both Katniss and Peeta are on the train. I would have thought that scene should be in the movie. Comic relief during a horrific time. Minor detail though which can be overlooked because of the mood during the reaping.
3. My cousin pictured it differently of Rue dying. In the book, Rue is stuck in the net and the spear goes through her little body. In the movie, the scene is there but Rue is out of the net and is standing when she is pierced by the spear. Again, minor detail and probably made it suitable for those 13 and up. When you have good imagination, you picture things different while you’re reading, I guess.
4. In the book, different scenes happen during the day and night. So when you see the same scenes (or sequence) in the movie, it’s not entirely the same. Again, minor detail.
5. In the book when Katniss and Peeta are reunited, Katniss gives Peeta  a sleeping syrup so that she could go to the Cornucopia to get Peeta’s medicine. In the movie, she just watches him as he is sleeping before she makes the decision to go. At least with this scene, you can see the betrayal in his eyes as he falls asleep and Haymitch helping her by sending another parachute.
6. In the book, Katniss realizes that the genetically altered werewolves are the tributes that died. In the movie, you don’t know that and they looked like big dogs. My vision of the werewolves was like the ones in the ‘Twilight’ movies. 
7. In the same sequence, the book has Cato running away from the werewolves as he passes Katniss and Peeta. Also, he’s wearing body armor. You don’t see that in the movie other than him reappearing on top of the Cornucopia and head locking Peeta. I guess more dramatic for Cato to appear suddenly.
8. At the end, Peeta realizes that Katniss doesn’t feel the same way and he goes along with the ‘lovers’ theme one more time when they reach home. In the movie, it’s not there.  Another minor detail but what from I know about ‘Catching Fire’, Peeta continues to help her with the ‘lovers’ theme since she’s in a whole mess of trouble. In the movie, you don’t get the sense of Katniss’s mixed feelings for Peeta, which would go along with this theme since in the book, Katniss is afraid of losing him forever.
9. At the end of the movie, I didn’t really feel that there was going to be a sequel. Then again, maybe with President Snow being mad at her was enough.

I guess that’s what I get for comparing the book to the movie. At least in the movie, you saw how the Gamekeepers manipulate the scenario for the tributes (bunch of meanies!), the Districts watching the game, Gale’s reaction to Katniss kissing Peeta (which was a amusing), the Capitol’s mayor’s conversation with the Gamekeeper and Haymitch trying to get sponsors which you couldn’t get in the book since you’re seeing the world through Katniss’s perspective.

Regardless of my mix feelings about the movie, I would look forward to watching when Hollywood makes ‘Catching Fire’. In the meantime, I’ll read the book (once my brother finishes it).