Movie Mondays: The Hunger Games

Movie Mondays: On Mondays, I will review a book series or novel that has been made into a movie. I will then answer the question that everyone asks: which is better, the movie or the book? Here is this week’s offering:

Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | Movie: The Hunger Games (2012)

Which did I read/see first? BOOK

Book Cover | Movie Poster

The Book:

Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Competition, Romance, Action

Thoughts:

You can see my review of the series here but I will briefly review the first book, The Hunger Games here.

I read this book in a day. It was very hard to put down and it was (and still is) unlike anything I had ever read. I loved the characters, I loved the world and I loved the story. I like nitty-gritty (often violent) action movies and novels so I really went in with high expectations and I was not disappointed.

I’m not sure what else I can say without spoiling it, but it was a great book and one that I will definitely reread in the future.

Conclusion:

A great start to a series and one of the best dystopian novels I have read.

Series Review: Full series review here!.
Rating: 5/5

Similar Reads: Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent Trilogy, #1) and Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Delirium Trilogy, #1)

The Movie:

I followed this movie’s progress as soon as I finished the novels. I read everything about casting, filming locations, etc. I think it’s a given that I had a lot of expectations going into this movie.

First, the casting. It was perfect in my opinion. Jennifer Lawrence (who has become one of my favourite actresses) does a fantastic job as Katniss. I say this because the trailer scene where Katniss volunteers as tribute made me cry in the theatre despite the fact that I had seen it a million times in the trailer (I also credit Willow Shields as Primrose for that as well). I liked Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket were exactly as I pictured them in appearance and in acting. Lenny Kravitz rocked my socks and I adore Stanley Tucci so overall it was perfection.

The director and co. did a fantastic job of bringing the world to life. Suzanne Collins has a very thorough description of the settings in her novels so I had the world set up in my mind and the movie was pretty spot-on. The costumes were great and the Capitol was everything I thought and hoped it would be.

My only complaint about this movie was the camera work. I get that they were going for that grittier, realistic feel with the shaky camera (and to get the rating they want) but it made me a little sick to my stomach at the start. It definitely got better as the movie went on though.

Overall, a solid movie adaption that follows pretty close to the story (just a few tiny details here and there were missing or changed), has great acting and a solid set.

So, which is better: the book or the movie?

In this case, the winner is a tie . This one is a tough one for me. The book was fantastic and definitely should be read but the movie did a great job capturing the characters and the story. Fans of the book will not be disappointed in this movie adaption 🙂

Do you agree? Leave a comment below!

Synopsis for The Hunger Games (from Goodreads):
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.(

Trailer: