Thursday, January 24, 2013

Julie's Reviews: The Hunger Games

Summary: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

Review: To be fair, I saw the movie before I even considered reading the books, so that being said it heavily influenced my enjoyment of the novel. Which is to say, that I did enjoy the novel but since I remembered most of the movie, I just wanted it to fill in the details that were missed.

I remember hearing a lot of rumbling that they didn't emphasize Katniss and Rue's bond but I felt it came across on film as one of the more powerful moments. Again if I had read the books first, I probably would have cried but I pretty much knew the writing was on the wall with that alliance.

I felt that Katniss' complex feelings for both Gale and Peeta. She doesn't understand where her longing for Gale is coming from when they've been nothing more than friends and partners. I can understand her complex feelings for Peeta because they are mixed in with the complexity of the games. They have to play a role, which is a role for her but a real thing for him. Did she exploit his feelings for her? Probably to some degree but Katniss is a survivor. It's all she knows. She doesn't understand emotion because she's doesn't have the luxury of thinking about other things other than basics.

Peeta still drives me nuts. I'm not sure what it is about him that bothers me but there is something. I don't think he's a wimp, I think he's a little wussy. Maybe I'll change my mind in future books or maybe my thoughts will be confirmed.

My favorite character besides Katniss is Cinna. Can I have my own Cinna, please?! He just seems real and true among all the fakes in the Capitol.

I will be reading Catching Fire and Mockingjay as a part of my YA Challenge. I'm actually looking forward to reading the books when I don't have a movie influencing me.

Final Take: 3.75/5

Alice and Jenn's Review




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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I loved the movie and decided to skip the books which I think may be a first for me! I am really looking forward to the next one. Cinna is a great character. Do you think Peeta seems wimpy because the actor who played him was smaller than Katniss? I think maybe.