The Hunger Games

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Oh my gosh Strmchsr don't even get me started on how TERRIBLE the 3rd HP movie was...(This is coming from a girl with the Ravenclaw crest tattooed on her back) lol

Surprised. I thought the first two Chris Columbus directed films were just cookie cutter, read page, film page, this is what people want, film it. Azkaban gave the series the needed darker edge, which I think was shown again in Order of Phoenix. Goblet was fluff, at least they left out SPEW.

Twilight, no offense, but total chick series. I read it on advice of a friend who said his kids loved it. All I can say is Meyers needs an editor, could have easily been condensed into two books if they only cut out 1/2 of the references to how beautiful Edward was. If they create a Breaking Wind land at WDW, I may seriously have to return my EARS.

Knew absolutely nothing about Hunger Games until the movie came out. Amazon had a $5 Kindle deal so I downloaded and am now about 25% thru it. So far am enjoying, hopefully can finish it while the movie is still in the theaters.

[Katzateer]

All I can say is Meyers needs an editor, could have easily been condensed into two books if they only cut out 1/2 of the references to how beautiful Edward was theaters.

[Lynn J Mc]

I've never read the Hunger Games books and find the whole idea distateful. And no kids killing kids is not Disney - Disney usually kills off mothers! LOL

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

I've never read the Hunger Games books and find the whole idea distateful. And no kids killing kids is not Disney - Disney usually kills off mothers! LOL

This made me LOL for real!

[Lizzy]

I'm currently reading the Hunger Games, I'm on the second book. I plan on seeing it this weekend.

I watched the firt Twilight movie before I started reading the books. I enjoyed the first movie but didn't really know what I was about to watch when my ex step daughter wanted us to watch it. I liked it enough to read the books and watched the rest of the movies. They did not put enough story detail in the movies I thought.

I never read any of the Harry Potter Books (gasp) but I loved all the movies. My ODS and I were huge HP fans and he hasn't read the books either.

Do you think they left too much out of the Hunger Games movie for someone who has not read the books to understand the story? Did they at least explain well enough in the movie that the "games" are actually punishment from the Capitol? I tried to explain to my ODS about the concept, since he hasn't read the first book yet (I was hogging it) and probably won't get a chance to read any of it before we go on Saturday. I just don't want him to get the idea that children killing children is where reality tv is going to take us eventually, that there is more to the "games" than them just being enterainment.

[bleukarma]

I didn't read the books and saw the movie last night. I enjoyed it. I don't know if I enjoyed it enough to read the books, but I thought it was really good. I do find it disturbing that a story about kids killing kids is such a huge hit, but maybe that's where we are at today?
I do know that the young child (around 5, maybe) should probably not have been in the theater. Her crying did not make the movie better for me.

All of my friends that have read the book say the book is SO much better. I know one friend told me that according to the book your name is put into a lottery to get food, and they didn't really explain that in the movie. Unless my friend interpreted the story wrong? But if that is part of the story it probably should have been explained more in the movie.

[Wolf]

Surprised. I thought the first two Chris Columbus directed films were just cookie cutter, read page, film page, this is what people want, film it. Azkaban gave the series the needed darker edge, which I think was shown again in Order of Phoenix. Goblet was fluff, at least they left out SPEW.

Honestly 3 was the most heartbreaking to me, 3,4,5, I dont even watch if they are on tv, 6 7.1 and 7.2 were good enough but it took till 2nd Dumbles passing for me to like new Dumbles.

[Lizzy]

Yes, the kids' names are put into a lottery starting when they are 12. They can put their names in more times to get extra food up to the number of years they are. But if they put their extra names in, then the next year all those extra times plus their new year of lottery goes in, plus they have to put in again for food,

So if a twelve year old wanted to put in for the full extra food they would get their name in 13 times. The next year, they would get the 13 plus they would get one for the year plus 13 for extra food. So at thirteen they could have their name in 27 times already. I think that is how it worked. The districs are very poor so it sort of forces families to have children to put their names in, but then by having children you loose them to the games. It's horrible way of life.

[sherriepaul]

read all 3 books and went to see the movie just last week! I loved it!!!! I thought the movie was very true to the book, but a shortened and condensed version of it....wish it had included more but again then it would a lot longer than 2 hours and 20 minutes!

[SBETigg]

Saw it this weekend with my husband and son. I've read the books. They haven't. They were not lost at all. The movie explains the premise pretty well.

For people disturbed by the concept, it is supposed to be disturbing and to make you think. It's not promoting kids killing kids, as if it is a good thing. Like most literature, it presents a concept that challenges the reader to think about the fictional world presented and how it relates to the reader's reality. I didn't find it any more disturbing than the later Harry Potter books, in which there are adults and kids killing kids, torture scenes, and dangerous things all taking place in a world not quite like our own. It's similar to Shirley Jackson's The Lottery (standard reading for 12-14 year olds in many schools) and Stephen King's The Running Man. Not for small children and in some cases, younger teens. It depends on maturity levels and your readiness to discuss some of the issues with your children. It's not for everyone, of course, but if you like books/movies that make you think, you might like it. Plus, there's a strong female protagonist. She doesn't need rescuing and she doesn't give up everything she wants and believes in for a sparkly boyfriend. I think that's great.

[TiggeRia]

I really enjoyed the books and want to see the movie, but have been hesitant because some of gory scenes in the book, but have heard they're not too bad in the movie.....true?

[SBETigg]

I really enjoyed the books and want to see the movie, but have been hesitant because some of gory scenes in the book, but have heard they're not too bad in the movie.....true?

It's not a gory movie. They did tone it down. The violence is still there, but they do clean it up a bit as far as presentation. There were things that made me cringe emotionally, but nothing that made me want to block my eyes and not look at the screen, if that helps.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I do find it disturbing that a story about kids killing kids is such a huge hit, but maybe that's where we are at today?

Its nothing new. Going back to my high school and college days back in the 80's, pretty much on every required reading list was "Lord of the Flies".

At least in Hunger Games (which I just finished reading last night) the society created the situation, in Lord of the Flies, the children evolve into it on their own.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Honestly 3 was the most heartbreaking to me, 3,4,5, I dont even watch if they are on tv, 6 7.1 and 7.2 were good enough but it took till 2nd Dumbles passing for me to like new Dumbles.

I have to admit, I might be one of the few that liked Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. I don't know if I liked him more or less than Richard Harris, but considering that probably the 2nd leading character in the story dies after filming two movies, it becomes some big shoes to fill and I had no problems at all with Gambon.

Harris had that sort of grandfatherly Dumbledore presence, it would have been interesting to see how he would have handled it when Dumbledore had to start going a little postal now and then.

[Aurora]

I've read all three books and my older kids are seeing the movie as I write this. I'm going to get a review from them before seeing it myself.

As with the Harry Potter series, the books become darker with each installment, but The Hunger Games series is far more disturbing and morally complex. I allowed my 7-year-old to watch the Harry Potter movies on video (too intense on the big screen), but he won't be seeing The Hunger Games for quite awhile.