HG Movie-Book Comparison

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2012)

Suzanne Collins sold 200,000 copies of her book, The Hunger Games after one year of publishing. The box office sold over $200 million in tickets in the first week of the movie release. Did the movie really deserve the millions of views it got? The Hunger Games is about a game in which 2 tributes from each of the 12 districts compete in a game to the death. When Katniss volunteers for her sister as tribute, she tells about her feelings and the process of being a tribute in the Hunger Games, emotionally and physically. The Hunger Games movie is far less powerful than the Hunger Games book because it didn't give deep detail about the personalities, events, and emotions of the characters.
The Hunger Games movie doesn't show the Character's personalities as in depth in the book. From chapter 15-18, the book talks about Rue and her relationship with Katniss. Particularly on pg. 208 when Katniss says, "Rue has decided to trust me whole heartedly. I know this because as soon as the anthem finishes, she snuggles up against me and falls asleep. Nor do I have any misgivings about her, as I take no particular precautions." The movie doesn't show Rue's relationship with Katniss, which makes it seem that Katniss was exaggerating when Rue died. This evidence proves that the movie is far less powerful and interesting in comparison to the book because of the deep connection between the characters that we are able to witness. In chapter 2, Katniss talks about her Dad and how he died in a coal mining accident. On pg. 26, Katniss says, "My father had been killed in the mine accident three months earlier in the bitterest January anyone could remember. The numbness of his loss had passed, and the pain would hit me out of nowhere, doubling me over, racking my body with sobs." She also explains how her mother "shut down" which left her the responsibility to feed and take care of her family. This describes Katniss and how she came to be a great hunter and resilient young woman. The movie scarcely mentions her dad at all, which makes Katniss's personality seem different from what it truly is. This evidence proves that the movie is far less powerful and interesting because Katniss's life is interesting, and if you leave out a big part of her life, she isn't as interesting. Chapter 1 explains Gale and his personality and relationship with Katniss. On page 6, Katniss says, "In the woods waits the only person with whom I can be myself. Gale." This shows how Gale and Katniss are close, and not just strangers. The movie shows short scenes of Gale which makes him seem different from what he is really like. The movie makes the book seem far less powerful. This evidence proves that the movie is far less powerful and interesting because without the personalities of the Character's, the story would be confusing and dull.
The Hunger Games movie fails to include crucial events that happened in the book. One example can be found on pg. 49 when Katniss throws away the cookies that she received as a parting gift from Peeta's dad. She says she doesn't want them to fool her by being nice so Peeta can plan a strategy to kill her in the arena. The book doesn't show this scene, and doesn't really show anything about Katniss thinking that Peeta is a threat to her. This proves that the movie fails to include crucial events that happened in the book. Another example that proves that the movie fails to include crucial events can be found on pg. 38 when Katniss gets the Mockingjay pin from Madge. She later thinks about her friendship with Madge in the arena which gives her hope and pushes her to keep going and not give up, unlike the movie. The movie doesn't include Madge at all, which proves that the movie is far less interesting than the book because the crucial detail is very important in the story line. The final example can be found on pg. 168-171 when Katniss almost dies from dehydration. When she is in this situation, she thinks about Haymitch and if he really cared about her enough to send her some water so she wouldn't die. On page 170 when Katniss says, "I have misjudged Haymitch. He has no intention of helping me at all." In the movie, Katniss gets water immediately. She doesn't have to ponder about Haymitch and if he really cared enough about her to save her. This event was very important in my eyes, which proves that the movie is far less powerful than the book due to the fact that it failed to include crucial events.
Although the Hunger Games movie was nothing in comparison to the book, it was a fun, action-packed, and interesting movie. I would recommend that you see the movie, but I also recommend that you read the book. The Hunger Games movie was far less powerful compared to the book because it didn't include some of the characters' personalities, crucial events, and Katniss's emotions. The book was more engaging and interesting because of its deep detail, so I STRONGLY believe the Hunger Games movie is far less powerful than the Hunger Games book. I can confidently say the Hunger Games movie was far less powerful than the book.