How The Hunger Games Left Me, Well... Hungry

Posted on the 25 March 2012 by Marissa Sexton @marissa_ela
Disclaimer: While I am free to post my thoughts on the movie, as a considerate human being, I vow not to reveal ANY aspect of this movie to those who may not have had the opportunity to see it yet, or who may be choosing to wait until it comes out on DVD.
With that said... when they say "the book is always better than the movie" - they're right. Why is that? Because the book can take you places, make you feel things, & conjure up your own biases based off your OWN imagination. The movie version of a book will always be from an actor's POV. You do not get the opportunity to "read between the lines" or "fill in the blanks". It's all laid out for you on the big silver screen. Granted, we all know what we signed up for; but it would be nice every now & then, if the movie version could materialize just the way we're expecting it to.
You see, when we read a book that happens to be the next big thing, we hype ourselves up quite a bit. It's human nature. Our expectations become grandiose and when we countdown those marathon long days until the opening, the anticipation that begins to fill our minds becomes overwhelming. We assume that every detail that's been built into our memory from the "book" will transpire via this "movie". Then it happens. Short & sweet disenchantment. You're left to process feelings like, "Well, what happened when?" and "I thought they were gonna show...".
Don't get me wrong. Was it a great way to spend some quality time with my family? Absolutely. I'm glad we went. But did I think it was worth all the hype? No. There was a lot left out that I wish they had incorporated. It felt rushed. No story behind most of it. And now that Twilight is dying off, it almost felt like that "rebound" relationship that won't last. If you read the book first & are going to see the movie... I think in general you'll like it. (Unless, you're a cutthroat die hard movie fan like moi.) If you haven't read the book, you'll have no expectations and I think you'll like it even more. If you can't decide either way... read the book, go see the movie & do it in the name of Josh, for "peet's" sake. Get it? LOL!

What did you think of The Hunger Games?