Five Things The Hunger Games Movie Got Right
Backlash is inevitable anytime a novel with a rabid fan base is turned into a movie. The Hunger Games will certainly have that group of fans that insist the movie did not live up to the book. However, there were five things that the film did exceptionally well.
1. Not A Child's Movie
With the graphic subject of children fighting to the death, many people were concerned that the producers would dumb down the killings to accommodate the teenage audience, and ultimately get that PG-13 rating. This is not the case.
Images of kids being stabbed with knives, arrows and spears are unsettling. Recognizing the fact that this is a touchy subject, the movie will often cut away or have jumpy footage so that the audience doesn’t quite view the entire scene. The violence almost seems too real, putting the audience in front of a television in Panem rather than a seat in a theater.
2. Tale Of Two Cities
The novel paints a stark contrast between the capital and the districts that do work to support it, and the movie shows this in a visually stunning way. The people in Districts 11 and 12 look like they are from a Depression era video, they wear drab clothes and have malnourished bodies. Both food and happiness are in short supply.
This is contrasted by the citizens of the capital, who are dressed in garish clothes with vibrant colors. They are the elite, the wealthy who take delight in the games. This is one of the few spots where the political undertones of the book shine through in the movie.
3. Love For Her Sister
One trailer for the film showed Katniss volunteering to be tribute, taking the place of her sister. This scene is far more gripping in the movie, as the audience sees the children, afraid and nervous, herded into the square for the Reaping. The tension is thick, and the moment when Katniss cries out, pushing aside the Peacekeepers, to take Prim’s place is mesmerizing.
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