By the Bel: Book vs Film Episode #1 - "The Hunger Games"

The book!

Okay, I get it now.  I must admit I had been ignoring The Hunger Games more out of spite for something that was causing so much hype, than anything else. Don’t I feel silly? Yup.

Suzanne Collins has created a character that is just the right balance of innocent and ball-tearing tough. Katniss is smart, sweet and determined. She’s not about to allow the powers that be to walk all over her and I can honestly say I’m finding it hard to write this when I could be moving on to book two.

With our unexplainable lust for ‘reality TV’ it is somewhat disconcerting to have the mirror placed before us to see how it must feel from the point of view of the ‘contestants’. The haves using the desperation and suffering of the have nots as entertainment. I must admit this is not one of the better human traits we seem to have acquired over the last couple of decades.

It took me ages to decide whether to read the book first or watch the film. I read first and I have a feeling I’ll be happier for the choice.

Paperback, Luxury Edition, 386 pages

Published November 5th 2012 by Scholastic Australia (first published January 1st 2008)

original title

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

ISBN

1742835759 (ISBN13: 9781742835754)

The Film!

There is no escaping the film trailers so I already had some idea of how the film would look. The Costume and Wardrobe department should be given kudos for making the world that is in the book turn out exactly what was running through my head.

Special effects were top notch and scenes with CGI were seamless in their inclusion.

Casting is spot on and any alterations to the story line and plot points aren’t enough to detract from the whole picture. I think perhaps having Suzanne Collins on the writing team helped keep everything authentic.

Even my hubby watched along with me (and he’s a tough one to impress)

As for which I liked more?

The book is a longer adventure with details you may miss in the film, however if you’re short on time and just want to know what on earth everyone is raving about, grab the DVD. There are even a few editions with some seriously cool extras and behind the scenes tid bits.

Both get a 5 out of 5 for me.