So it’s been quite the Hunger Games whirlwind these days. Some of you might have never heard of the series before seeing previews for the film. If you are coming into this completely clueless it’s time to get up to speed, because this series but it’s worth it. The story takes place mostly in North America in the distant future. The book doesn’t go into the most detail of how the world has gotten this way because this is so far in the future. The capitol dictator has silenced a lot of real facts from the public. People have vague ideas of what happened, but I believe there is so much that could be written about what really went down. (Hint to Suzanne Collins, the writer, to do a series at the heart of the first uprising.)

Long ago in their history the people rebelled against the government, which is quite close to home these days in the states. The government regained power and divided most of North America into different districts. Each district has a specialty that each of the other districts need like grain, coal, etc. Each year since the government regained power there has been one event to tie the districts together. Keep in mind there are no television shows, no entertainment except for what the capitol decides to be broadcast. This main event is the Hunger Games.

One boy and girl from each district is chosen from a pile of names. Each year the child is alive from ages 12-18 their name goes in once. During that year between games they can take out extra food rations, but it will cost them more times their name goes into the pot thus making their chances of being picked even higher. Each tribute, as they call them, is taken to the capitol to be put into the games. They are there more for the entertainment of the capitol and district 1 who are the most rich of all the districts. District one has no real export like most districts. Think of them as the Hollywood of their time just without the making of films. The tributes go through tests and training for 4 days before being pitted against each other to the death where there is only one survivor from 24 kids. It’s gruesome don’t think it’s just some happy go lucky fight film. These are kids killing each other in a manor that scars them for life all for the entertainment, and to “remind” the other districts what they need to do to be in the good graces of the capitol.

This Hunger Games is the 74th edition, and we follow Katniss Everdeen from district 12, which specializes in coal. If you look at the most detailed map that’s been made so far you can see which area of our United States she’s from. She volunteers as tribute because her sister who had just turned 12, and got her name in the pot once, was somehow picked. To save her she volunteers to go the games knowing full well she might never come back. Peeta Mellark, played by a href=”http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1242688/” target=”_blank”>Josh Hutcherson, is the male tribute that was chosen, and we follow them to the capitol to see just what each child goes through each year since the games have started. Not to give too much away, but most of what I’ve just said above is what is told to you in the first sequence of the movie and the preview.

If you don’t like knowing things before the movie you might want to look away now but I’m going to try and not spoil a lot but compare and contrast some areas I think the movie got it right or vice versa.

Top 5 Moments of Hunger Games Movie

1. The moment before Katniss is put into the tube that takes her to the games. Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing Katniss does an amazing job. You can litterally see her shaking with fear, trying to not lose it. I could feel myself in her shoes and my heart beating faster.

2. The beginning of the film showing district 12 and how the people there are so malnourished just trying to live, for them everyday must feel like the games. I had thought of it while reading the books, but there is something about seeing it that it finally hit home.

3. Rue, a young girl from district 11 who you will not help but fall in love with, asking Katniss if her and Peeta were a real couple or not. The whole audience was grinning ear to ear and laughing. It was a very good moment from all the death around them.

4. Haymitch, their mentor who had won his year of the Hunger Games from district 12, using social engineering on the rich and famous of the capitol to help out Katniss and Peeta. This guy knows what he’s doing, and how to play the games even outside of the arena.

5. There is a squence where Katniss has been stung by several Tracker Jackers. While in the hallucinations there is a moment she is yelling at her mother that bring chills.

Moment The Movie Missed

A critical point of the book is never knowing for sure if Peeta is in love with Katniss, or if it’s an act to get people on their side for sponsors during the games. At the end of book one there is something said by Peeta that leaves the reader thinking maybe he has been an incredible actor to get out of those games alive. In the movie there is no such moment. We are left feeling like Peeta is just completely helplessly devoted to her no matter what. This in my eyes is a mistake. It’s the questioning Peeta that makes us want to read the next book as soon as possible. It helps us understand why she is still torn between her long time friend Gale who has been left in district 12 during the games, and the bond she feels with Peeta after going through something so terrible.

There were several more things the movie changed like how she gets the mockingjay pin, the mayor of district 12, and other such small things were changed or left out. Also, by the end of the film we don’t see all the scars they take away from the games as we do in the book, but I think in the next film they will assess if they came through in good health or not. Things will flow much easier in the next films by just omitting tiny details. I don’t think there is anything else they majorly missed that hurt the film besides the one mentioned above. It’s honestly one of the best book to film adaptions I’ve ever seen. I want to rush out and see it again.

Credit for the Panem map to Badguys.livejournal.