The Hunger Games - The Movie

I would not describe myself as a fashionista, however I am prepared to make a bold prediction - braids will be big this season.  Judging from the girls (and women) coming in to see the movie version of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen's choice of hairstyle is setting a trend.

I loved The Hunger Games, I got the first one over Christmas and devoured all three books.  I loved reading something so compelling that I struggled to stop reading at night.  They were books that had me hanging on to every word and then thinking about them long after I had finished reading.

It is always with some trepidation that I approach the movie of a book I've loved.  The transition from page to screen is not an easy one.  Novels contain such depth that condensing them into a few hours of screen time is fraught with danger.  And then Margaret and David, my go to movie reviewers, gave it a terrible review.

However I was not deterred. This morning I headed along to the movies with a couple of friends.  I was ready to be disappointed, but hopeful that it would be great.

I really enjoyed the film.  If you haven't read the book, following some aspects like the back story of Katniss' family will be difficult.  Minor details were changed, for no real reason as far as I can see and various aspects of Katniss' inner struggles were not even close to being portrayed.  But overall it was faithful to the story.  The actors were great, the costuming brilliant.  The vision of the Capitol and the Peacekeepers putting down the people are definitely set to lead into the next two movies and it is clear that the film makers took inspiration both from Roman gladiatorial battles and Nazi propaganda material.  The fight scenes were somewhat blurred and slightly difficult to follow, but I think that was mainly done to covey what was happening whilst maintaining the M rating. 

I think it would be an enjoyable movie even if you hadn't read the book, but having read it, the understanding you bring makes it a great movie.  I think anyone who loved the book would not be disappointed.  It certainly lived up to expectation for me.