“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”
A group of Galway students heard those well-known words as they finally watched the film version of the extremely popular book by Suzanne Collins. The entire ninth grade read the first book in the three part series in their English classes, while Mrs. Durand had many of her students read not only The Hunger Games, but Catching Fire as well. Students traveled to Wilton Mall in Saratoga to see the movie in their own private theater, Wednesday, March 28. The trip was inexpensive for students; only $4. The movie tickets were purchased for the entire group by the WSWHE BOCES, Arts in Education program. A portion of the transportation costs were generously donated by the Galway Education Foundation.
Many students have commented that they don’t really like to read, but when they read The Hunger Games, everything changed, and many couldn’t get the sequels out of the library fast enough! Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim, Rue, Cato, Thresh and all the rest, grabbed their attention from the first page.
Taking a special book like this, that is admired by so many, and turning it into a movie that will do it justice is a very tough job.
So, how did they do?!
What was it like to see Collins’ characters come to life on the screen?
Which actors did the best job?
What was the best scene?
How was the movie compared to the book?
Leave your comments below!
andrew • Apr 2, 2012 at 1:56 pm
i think the movie was good. i think the book was better. the movie didn’t show a lot of the fighting. the cameras were moving around to fast to be able to see who was getting killed and how. a lot of those parts that were in book were not included in the movie which made the movie even worse.i did like the movie because i could actually see what the capital looked like. reading the book had made me think of how much technology was actually apart of the hunger games. the movie snowed that there was a lot of technology and the districts were grungier and dirtier than i had thought. Peeta had been my favorite between the book and the movie being that he was funny and interesting
Courtney • Apr 2, 2012 at 7:13 am
If you didnt read the book you would have been completly lost threw out the whole movie basically. I would NEVER waste my money on that again. The charaters werent convincing, they left out some of the best little details, and over all the whole movie was really a flop. *I didnt like the book, but if i had to pick between reading the series twice or watching that movie one more time, id pick the series. (I really dislike the series so thats saying something)
Curtis • Apr 1, 2012 at 12:50 pm
The other part I liked was when katniss shot the apple that was stuck in the pigs mouth and everyone turned around to katniss and she just says “thank you for your consideration.”
Molly Mancini • Mar 30, 2012 at 5:33 pm
I absolutely loved the movie! It was definatly everything I expected it to be!
I loved when the doggy jumped out, I doubt that a single person didn’t jump at least 2 feet in the air the first time watching it.
The part I liked the most about The Hunger Games was how it compared to our present day. Becuase after watching, we realize that the entertainment we’re watching here is alarmingly similar to the “entertainment” we’ve watched too often before.Panem’s reality TV is our televised reality – the future is now.
I can’t WAIT for Catching Fire!!!!
Kelly Phillips • Mar 30, 2012 at 10:12 am
I loved the books! After reading all 3 books I think I was expecting a better movie. I really didn’t like how they left out so many details. I’m not gonna say I hated to movie, I’ll just say I’m very disappointed in the outcome. If you didn’t read the book and just watched the movie I suggest reading the book, so many details will be filled in that were not put in the movie!
kjdecker • Mar 30, 2012 at 10:03 am
Brooke Martin wanted to share this…
Hunger games parody of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”
I walk out of the shop and this is what I see
Katniss Everdeen is a-lookin’ at me
I got a loaf in my hands and I ain’t afraid to throw it throw it throw it
I’m Peeta and you know it
Mr. Pagano • Mar 30, 2012 at 9:48 am
The Hunger Games movie is true to the novel both in plot and character. Although it necessarily leaves out a few scenes due to time constraints, the movie leaves out a scene with Katniss and the mayor’s daughter which is important to highlighting the inequities of a society which favors the wealthy and prestigious to the poor and downtrodden (What society doesn’t do this?). As for the characters, most were well cast and portrayed. Jennifer Lawrence who played the heroine is spot on as the girl who represents our innate desire to be free. While some may criticize her physical appearance as being too healthy looking given the fact that she had to scrounge for food everyday before she went to the games, I think that most would agree that her emotional portrayal as the girl who had to endure so much suffering but yet maintain her calm and dignity is inspiring. The movie does leave out some of the gore described in the book,but hey, you can’t have everything. It does, however, provide enough action in the second half of the film to keep things moving along at a nice pace. My biggest disappointment with the movie was the undeveloped relationship between Katniss and Rue, a younger girl who gains Kat’s admiration before and during the games. I think more could have been done with that. However, overall, the movie was certainly worth the price of a ticket.
curtis • Mar 30, 2012 at 8:03 am
I agree with Garrett that the blood and gore doesn’t catch attention but I think that the love that Katniss and Peeta had for each other definitely hooked and snagged my attention and I also agree with him that there should’ve been a narrator to help the movie cruise more smoothly in someone’s mind that way they can comprehend it better.
Paige • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:06 pm
The acting in the movie was absolutely spectacular. I loved Cinna, Peeta, Katniss, Haymitch, Rue, Gale, and everyone else. The games themselves went by way too fast. There were soem crucial points that I thought were necessary and others points that bugged me. The Cornocopia wasn’t what I imagined at all, I thought her back pack should have been a brighter orange and the muttations were not right at all. The movie wasn’t bad. I did enjoy parts of it especially Peeta’s interview with Ceasar. I am interest to see what they will do for the rest of the books.
Anna K. • Mar 29, 2012 at 11:41 am
Lol. Megan the movie is about 12 districts sending 24 tributes into a arena to fight to the death with only 1 survior (even though 2 ended up surviving). How can it not be all about death. I mean i understand what you’re saying, but still. And technicallly a “heated romance” is what saved Katniss and Peeta’s lives. I do hate how they took out the part where Katniss is telling Peeta how she ended up giving her sister a goat for her birthday. That was so sweet how she entertained him while he was sick. lol. I do kinda agree with you though. If the movie got to violent or “romantic” they would’ve had to rate it “R,” and then we wouldn’t of been able to go see it as a class. Also, younger Hunger Games fans wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.
Tyler Tucker • Mar 29, 2012 at 9:54 am
I think the book was better the movie left out almost all the important parts like they didnt explain what happened to district 13 and they didnt talk about district 12 being poor and the avox girl wasnt there
megan hersey • Mar 29, 2012 at 9:26 am
and fyi, all you guys that were dissapointed at lack of blood and gore, REALLY people?! they cant have blood and gore necesary for it to be more realistic, because little kids want to watch it to?! my 10 yr old little sister read the book and cant wait to see the movie this weekend. if it was all blood and gore, with a heated romance, tons of kissing, death, and people dying at every turn, they would loose alot of their fanbase, because alot of kids under 13 have read and love the book
megan hersey • Mar 29, 2012 at 9:19 am
the movie was amazing, alot of people are angry that it wasnt EXACTLY like the book but lets be real, they cant make it to the book perfect AND fit it in a 2-3 hour movie. its impossible. i think they had most of the major stuff in the movie that was in the book. i think the book was amazing, and the movie was almost as good.
Greg Myers • Mar 29, 2012 at 9:18 am
The movie was okay but the book was alot better
Luke Huxhold • Mar 29, 2012 at 9:16 am
The movie was really good for a movie but it changed a lot from the book.
justin • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:52 am
To be honest i liked the book way better because the booke had more action. i thought the movie left out alot of things that were in the book. The movie was ok theo i liked it a little bit.
david • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:24 am
i thought the movie was very interesting even though they left a lot of parts out of it. it was different when thresh killed clove in the book it would have been kinda cool for clove to get her face smashed in with a rock so she gets what she deserves for being nasty to katniss, same thing with cato his death was different in the movie.it was an advantage to get out of school for a day and hang with friends at the mall, it was better than being at school.
Rebecca • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:21 am
as i read the book i was very interested, it was a very well written and laid out story and the characters were very different. In itself it was like a whole other world witch i loved because i love stories that are very different in itself. so as i was watching the movie i thought that the beginning could have been a little better i thought that the filming could have been better and more details could have happened. Like they did not show how close katniss and gale had come in the movie i felt like the movie in the beginning went bye just so fast and i think they should have slowed it down and showed more detail so u could get to know the characters more. because with just people seeing the movie and not reading the book they wouldn’t know what kind of people the characters were. Through out the movie i thought that they had left out al-ot of detail that was in the book they never showed any weather problems or anything besides the burn that she had gotten. and i thought they should have made the part were peta threw the bread at katniss an actual part of the movie rather than just a memory that both of them are just remembering. Other than that i though that what they showed in the movie was very good but they toned alot of the gore and things that happened and i thought they should have showed it because i feel that alot of that was very important .Other than that it was a very good movie and i think everyone should see it but definitely read the book because it had alot more detail and i loved it and i think everyone else will love it two.
Garrett • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:18 am
I agree completely with Jeff, all my thoughts bundled in a bunch simply put into one paragraph. The movie was way to quick, most people that didn’t read the book probably didn’t realize how deep the movie should be. Many important parts were not in the movie. Ill start with Rue, i cried while reading the book at the moment she died, but laughed at the terrible change they made in the movie, there wasn’t enough feel in those scenes beforehand to give you any emotion. Next with Cato, ill give credit to when he snapped the poor kids neck, loved it; but the mutts in the end didn’t really chase after him, he had no body armor. Thesh wasn’t the big Bubba i intended him to be, and the whole movie to me was ruined when there was not bashing of the rock the size of a small loaf of bread on that delinquents skull, it was all i was there for, that one moment…I for one was extremely disappointed with the graphics, more like the violence. The bloodbath was just very quick clips of “slicing” that didn’t give the watcher a true fear of the characters. Ill use the movie 300 for a example, in all the battle scenes, you saw with your own eyes the extraordinary blood and gore, slicing and stabbing. I wasn’t to fond of the matrix scenes were you got a close up and the whole movie slowed down. But hopefully you get that the violence didn’t get my attention. Important parts of the movie were even taken out that were supposed to affect the 2nd and even possibly 3rd movie. I for one have no information about celebrities so i apologize that i have no clue who Woody Carlson or Lenny Kravits is.
I will give credit to having clips out of the arena, it gave more of a understanding of what people were thinking outside of the games. It did what the narrating of katniss in the books couldn’t do. But having a narrator would definitely help in the movie, i had to think back to what she thought in the book at those moments in the movie and that helped a little with understanding her actions. But if there ever was a remake the makers of the movie would be stupid not to add that in. It would save the next two movies. If they have enough guts to continue with the makings of them.
Dean Poulin • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:08 am
i think the movie was more interesting than the book, but the book had way more detail. And it was from katniss perspective to wear the movie was third person view.The only thing i didnt like was that they cut out alot of details in the movie. but overal the movie was a good movie and it was way better than being at school.
curtis • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:07 am
The movie was very,very interesting. I do agree with some people that the story line was kinda rough because the producers left alot of the information that the book had out of the movie. But other than that it kept my mind intrigued. The best and sort of startling part of the movie was when the mutation jumped out of nowhere, I literally jumped out of my seat and when I jumped the seat came with me. This movie felt so real that I started to even think like some of the characters.
Ciara Aulds • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:07 am
If I had never read the book, and I had never had the images already set in my head for it, I would have probably liked it much better. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when Katniss was getting evaluated and she shoot the apple from the pigs mouth. The Capitol peoples faces’ were priceless. Haymitch was exactly how I imagined though, as was Effie. Clove was completely different from what I thought she would be. I thought they did a bad job with the cornicorpia. It was cubical shaped, and a silver color, not gold. The muttations were also disapointing. They were ugly, but they missed the point that the were the other tributes! Also the romance between Peeta and Katniss was so bland… And where is Peeta’s metal leg?! Non-sense I tell you! NON-SENSE!
The movie moved way to fast. It was two hours long, but it felt like I was in the theather for 45 minutes.
Brittany • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:06 am
i can agree with everybody who have left thier response. in my opinion the book was better than the movie. some parts in the movie were rushed and the filming made me a bit dizzy. the book had a lot more detail while the movie left out parts. but i do think that the characters in the movie did a good job acting.
Anna • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:04 am
I absolutely loved the book!! The movie was really good too, but it did cut out a lot that had happened in the book. There was a few things that were added too. Like when Katniss used the bow and arrow to shoot the apple out of the pig’s mouth. That part was really cool. I do suggest though that if you haven’t seen the movie yet that before you do you read the book first!! Oh, and Jacob of course the movie was predictabe. lol. That’s just because you read the book first, so you new what was gunna happen. If you had never read the book the movie wouldn’t have been so “predictable.”
Siramar • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:04 am
I thought the movie was pretty good. The book is deffinitely a thousand times better and you shold only watch the movie after reading the book. The movie could have been a lot better. But I thought the movie was probably made just for viewers that read the book. It was intended for people that read the book. The movie didnt really explain anything and I can totally get why people were confused if they didnt read the book. I think it would have made the movie a hundred times better if the narrator was Katniss, and everything was in her point of view. I mean it was but I wish it said what she was thinking, and how she felt.
kylie • Mar 29, 2012 at 8:01 am
i really hated the movie it was lacking gore to make the deaths seem real. this movie wasn’t good at all the graphics were weak and looked 100% fake. the relationship between katness and peeta didn’t make sense at all because there were random flash backs that were not explained at all so if you didn’t read the book you wouldn’t understand what was going on. the sounds they used were another let down because they rly hurt my head and well i was about ready to go sit i the lobby and wait for the others. i am sickened when someone mentions the name “hunger games” because of this movie its just like twilight a fail (this is my opinion and you may share the same feelings but if you liked it and twilight i don’t mean to be rude)
Jennica Nash • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:58 am
I thought over all the movie was really well. The thing i loved the most was how all teh charaters looked how i pictured it while i read it, special Gale. However i didn’t really like how they left so much out, adn i think if you didnt read the book, the whole bread thing would have been confusing at first, till they talked about it. Also the movie itself didnt have as much romance as the book. One thing i hate about both the book and the movie was the end, it kinda frusterates me. I thought that it was kinda scary though when the jumpy part came (dont wanna say what was jumpy, but if you read it you know what im talking about.) I must have jumped a couple of feet into the air! I think that Rue did the best part though, the way she could just start crying, it looked like she was really into the character, not pretendeing to be the character. Over all this was a fun trip, that i could go hang out with friends, and do something we love!
James • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:57 am
I thought the movie was ok but like my good buddy Austin said, it sucked compared to the book.
Kennedy • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:55 am
The movie was ok. I thought the book was very interesting but they rushed through it. There are some parts from the book that they left out which i didn’t like. I think the part from the book when peeta lost his leg in the end, or when Katniss had to be locked up in that room when they returned to the capitol, those parts i think are some important ones that should’ve been included in the movie. Over all it wasa somewhat good movie, a little rushed but i’m still excited to see the next one!
Stephan Chase • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:54 am
The movie occupied my attention, but because of the big screen had horrible quality. I think that the detail would have been way easier to see on a smaller screen,than a big screen.. Overall it was fine.
Cameron • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:41 am
The movie was funny
Dakota and Jena • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:39 am
I thought the movie was amazing, it really kept me interested. The actors and actresses that were playing the characters did a good job playing their part.
Jeff • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:30 am
The movie was not as good as it could have been. A lot of things should have been done differently. in the book, Katniss was narrating the story so you got to see the things that she was thinking in her head. Because the movie was not narrated at all, you did not have any of Katniss’s viewpoint on the situation shown in the movie. The book’s storyline was quite different than the movie’s because it was much deeper. Also, in the movie, a lot of things were left out that I think definately shouldn’t have been. One such thing was in the begining of the games, right after the battle at the cornocopia, Katniss is just about dying of thirst. This was completely left out of the movie because within hours, possibly even minutes after running away from the cornocopia, she finds the river and drinks from it no problem and thirst is never a problem for her at all during her time in the arena. There were a few other situations like this that were important to the book but were excluded from the movie entirely. Because Katniss’s thoughts were not displayed in the movie, there is absolutely no chance for the second and or third movie to be produced. This is because her thoughts are so important to the story and why she does certain things in the second and third books. IF, they were to remake the movie like this, then Catching Fire and Mockingjay could be a movie and still be understood by its viewers that have not read any of the books. These are my thoughts on what was wrong about the movie. It could have been A LOT better than it was.
Emily • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:24 am
As the movie started I was dissapointed in the filming. I thought the camera was too close and didn’t really give a good view of the movie. As it continued, it got a lot better. I loved the effects and the characters were great, especailly Gale. Katniss and Peeta did a really great job being “in love”. There were definitely parts of the book that were left out that could’ve made it that much better. My favorite part of the movie was when Katniss found Peeta under his camouflage. I would definitely recommend reading the book before watching the movie.
Amy • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:22 am
I liked the movie but it had a few important details missing that were in the book. I thought the characters were well potrayed by the actors and the costumes and makeup were good. I imagined the scenes in my head a little differently and was surprised to see what the directors views were. I thought that when Katniss blew up the explosives was one of the best scenes because I could see what was happening and they had a ringing sound that made me feel like my ears were ringing.
Robbie • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:15 am
First off, I’m one of those students that really do not like to read at all but i did love reading this book.I thought that the book was much better put together then the movie because there were so many parts left out. For example, in the movie they showed the hovercraft before the reaping but not a single time in the movie did they show the Avox girl. I thought it was a very good movie but it just didn’t compare to the descriptiveness of the book.
Brendon • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:15 am
The movie was not as good as the book. It left out a lot of parts that would have been easy to keep in the movie.But if they did keep everything in it would be a very long movie, which it already is.
william • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:15 am
I thought that the movie was OK. some parts were CLEARLY computer generated, like when the were in the capitol, going to the interviews. the “fire” that Katniss and Peeta wore, was very fake. the acting was not too bad, however there WAS room for improvement. Overall, the movie was worth going to see. I am interested to see if the other two books are made into a movie too.
Quintin Anders • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:14 am
i really liked the movie it was great and the actors playing the characters did a really good job of representing their character, but i did have a problem with the movie, the main problem was that they left out some important characters and scenes that were in the book and the movie overall seemed to be rushed… i feel like if they but a little bit more effort into the minor details it would have been a great movie… i know that if they didn’t leave any details out it would have been like a 4 hour movie but still if they just put a little more detail into it would’ve been a better movie and not have the rushed feeling.
alicia • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:14 am
The movie was good but it was predictable even if you didn’t read the book. Most of the movie was like the book but it was easy to see that the director left parts out. The actors stayed true to the characters and made them believable. For me there was no “best scene” everything was pretty equal.
Austin Williams • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:12 am
the movie kinda sucked. it didnt have a lot of the parts of the book and went so fast. it was an okay movie but if youve read the book it sucks.
haleigh • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:11 am
i thought the movie was really good. cant waite to see catching fire.
Nick Webb-Horvath • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:11 am
the movie kind of sucked. I thought it was going to be better. Left a lot out.
Jacob Roberts • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:10 am
Honestly, I liked the book better… The movie was very predictable. But Lenny Kravits was in it… Which made it a little better. But it was a good movie.. Just not placed together in a very good way. The plot seemed to drag at parts.. and go too fast at others. But the end where Katniss shot an arrow into Kado after he was attacked by the dogs.. It was rutheless but enjoyable!
Reece • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:10 am
I really hated it other then the fact that lenny kravits and woody carlson was in it.The book was alot better than the movie. I think that the actors did really well but i think that the storyline was bad they left out alot from the book. The best scene was at the very end when Katniss shot the second arrow at Kato.
Dakota/Jena • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:09 am
I thought the movie was amazing, it really kept me interested.