I am the Mockingjay.
Apr. 8th, 2012 04:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452I'm planning on seeing The Hunger Games again very soon, since it's that kind of movie that deserves a second viewing in the theaters. For now though, I kinda wanna weigh in my thoughts of the book vs the movie, and my personal opinion on a particular issue that keeps popping up in certain circles.
In terms of the film versus the book, I kinda preferred the film a bit better. The book itself explains a bit more of what is going on through Katniss' narration, but I think the story itself is better translated on the screen rather than in book form, if that makes sense. Rather than going for the first-person descriptions we're seeing the entire world and other perspectives of other characters, which is what I expected but it definitely added more to what was happening that we didn't get in the books. My only nitpick is how they sort of glossed over the horrifying aspects of the Arena and how controlling of a government the Capitol is, something I hope the next film will touch on more.
While I was reading the books I thought they were okay, a decent read with an intriguing story and plot, but the first-person narrative tended to put me off in certain bits. Which is why I was excited to see how the film would do to adapt it onto the big screen, and I was very impressed by what they did and how they did it.
But there is one aspect of the books that I really didn't like.
I would have preferred the books without the romance tied to them, at least in the way it was written, particularly in the last book. I mentioned this before, but after seeing so much within the fandom I just needed to elaborate more on it. I wished that Suzanne Collins had kept her original concept, since that seemed more realistic to what was happening in that world than what was done. Sure, as a YA series the romantic "triangle" probably was more appealing to younger readers, but I just don't like the assumption that if a girl has two guy friends that they can't simply just be friends without adding all this sexual tension between them. There were more important issues to be worrying about, and would have preferred if they had teamed up together fighting side-by-side, without any of that tension or jealousy, and just being friends and comrades in the revolution. Never mind how I kind of always wanted Katniss to not pick anyone and just be by herself, with friends and allies by her side but having no love interest in her life whatsoever. I don't know, I just wish all of that could have been, if not done differently then executed better than how it was done, tbqh.
In terms of the film versus the book, I kinda preferred the film a bit better. The book itself explains a bit more of what is going on through Katniss' narration, but I think the story itself is better translated on the screen rather than in book form, if that makes sense. Rather than going for the first-person descriptions we're seeing the entire world and other perspectives of other characters, which is what I expected but it definitely added more to what was happening that we didn't get in the books. My only nitpick is how they sort of glossed over the horrifying aspects of the Arena and how controlling of a government the Capitol is, something I hope the next film will touch on more.
While I was reading the books I thought they were okay, a decent read with an intriguing story and plot, but the first-person narrative tended to put me off in certain bits. Which is why I was excited to see how the film would do to adapt it onto the big screen, and I was very impressed by what they did and how they did it.
But there is one aspect of the books that I really didn't like.
I would have preferred the books without the romance tied to them, at least in the way it was written, particularly in the last book. I mentioned this before, but after seeing so much within the fandom I just needed to elaborate more on it. I wished that Suzanne Collins had kept her original concept, since that seemed more realistic to what was happening in that world than what was done. Sure, as a YA series the romantic "triangle" probably was more appealing to younger readers, but I just don't like the assumption that if a girl has two guy friends that they can't simply just be friends without adding all this sexual tension between them. There were more important issues to be worrying about, and would have preferred if they had teamed up together fighting side-by-side, without any of that tension or jealousy, and just being friends and comrades in the revolution. Never mind how I kind of always wanted Katniss to not pick anyone and just be by herself, with friends and allies by her side but having no love interest in her life whatsoever. I don't know, I just wish all of that could have been, if not done differently then executed better than how it was done, tbqh.
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Date: 2012-04-08 05:40 pm (UTC)I read Katniss' side of the things the same way that you did, really. On the one hand, it was something I found refreshing about the books, that for once the heroine wasn't gushing over the hero, etc. But on the other hand, I found the epilogue so poorly written that it made it difficult for me to support Katniss/Peeta.
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Date: 2012-04-11 04:59 am (UTC)Pretty much my feelings, too. I liked the role reversal, but the way the whole thing was presented in the writing, I didn't like it or feel like it was necessary.
I think you're right about the fans swooning over the romance because of Peeta's devotion to Katniss, however I never got that feeling for Peeta from the books. Perhaps, again, the way it was written because I never particularly liked his character, and while having an unrequited love is painful (and most of us can relate to that in some form or another) I felt that the story didn't need that happening, particularly in the epilogue because, yeah, no.