Period Drama &c: The Hunger Games: Book & Movie Review *spoilers*

WARNING: Terrible spoilers.

I have finally read and watched "The Hunger Games"! "Finally"? you ask? Well, it took me a while. My older sister read them and told me some about them, and I thought I didn't want to read them, and then I decided I wanted to and I was allowed to, so I did.

I have read the first two, am working through Mockingjay, and have so far watched the first movie. So, anyway, here I'm going to basically review the movie, while commenting on the book as I go.

So, I will begin by saying, the movie was quite accurate to the book, minus a few things, but overall, it was a very good representation of the book. The conversations and stuff were similar if not some nearly word-for-word.

The movie opens much as the book does, with Katniss going out hunting as usual with Gale (once she has Prim settled after a nightmare, which while not in the book specifically, was implied).

Next comes the Reaping, which was pretty accurate too.

Though I have to say, Effie Trinket wasn't quite how I pictured her.....I

guess I need to look at the description of her in the book again.

When Prim's name is chosen, she moves forward, but Katniss throws herself forward and volunteers.

The cinematography during the reaping scene is kinda here there and everywhere, which actually helps to portray Katniss's dizziness and shock.

As in the book, Gale comes up and carries Prim away.

Then, Peeta's name is drawn.

Poor Peeta looks very shocked.

At this point, part of a flashback of the scene with the bread shows, and bits of it recur throughout the movie until you actually see what happens.

Katniss is known as "the girl on fire" and Peeta is "the boy with the bread". And voila! you have toast. Ahem. Carrying on....

When the visitors are allowed, Katniss's mother and Prim visit, and Katniss instructs her mother, referring to her absence of mind after her father's death. As in the book. (I am becoming fond of that phrase. I warn you I may use it very often in this post.)

Gale comes too.

But Madge, the mayor's daughter who gives Katniss the mockingjay pin, is not in the movie. Katniss buys the pin in the Hob.

Nor does Peeta's father visit her - in the book he does, and he brings her cookies.

Then comes the Capitol, and the training.

Oh, and the opening ceremony.

Which was pretty book-accurate, though I don't think I pictured it quite like that. And I don't really like her hairstyle, but I can't remember what it was like in the book.

Glimmer and Marvel, District 1

Clove and Cato, District 2

Rue and Thresh, District 11

Foxface

Then we have the interviews, which were very accurate to the book.

Katniss was slightly awkward, but people found it funny, Caesar Flickerman helped out, and Peeta's groundbreaking announcement of the star-crossed lovers of District 12 were book-accurate.

Peeta's was, as in the book, humorous, and he and Caesar got on well. "Do I smell like roses to you?"

Then I will go straight to the most interesting and exciting part, namely the Games.

After a few last words with Cinna, Katniss is raised up into the Games.

She catches sight of a bow, planning to run and grab it, but a shake of the head from Peeta distracts her, and she doesn't have much time. She runs, grabs a backpack, gets chased by Clove, but finally loses her. Book accurate.

Katniss is chased literally up a tree by the Careers, and she's shocked when she discovers Peeta is with them.

(Um, on a side-note, I'm tired of saying "book-accurate", so I'll mention it when it's not, okay? Great.)

Rue alerts her to the presence of the tracker-jackers, which she knocks down onto the sleeping Careers.

Glimmer dies, but the others, including Peeta, get away.

Katniss has been stung and sees a blurry Peeta warn her to run.

She wakes up to find Rue has been looking after her.

Rue and Katniss become allies....

...and Rue teases Katniss about Peeta.

As the games progress, Katniss, with Rue distracting, blows up the Careers' food supply.

When she returns, she finds Rue is caught in a net, but after she's freed from it, Rue is killed by the boy tribute from 1. Katniss kills the boy, but it's too late to save Rue.

Katniss sings to her, the song she sings in the book, and once she's died, gives her the farewell salute as she's taken up out of the arena.

The farewell salute is returned or added by the people watching in Rue's district, 11.

There's also a bit of a riot involving a man who I assume was Rue's father.

An announcement is made saying two tributes can be victors, if they are from the same District. Katniss immediately sets out to find Peeta, whom, she has heard has been wounded, and is no longer with the Careers.

She finds him exercising his camouflage skills, which, by the way, are kinda creepy and gave me quite a surprise - I was like: "Huh? Oh! THERE'S A FACE IN THE ROCK!"

Yeah, anyway...

They hide out in a cave until there's an announcement that a "feast", and one of the items in medicine Peeta must have if he's going to survive.

She runs off while he's asleep, because he doesn't want her to go and risk her life. (In the book she gives him sleeping medicine, but it's a minor detail)