The Hunger Games, that is. Excellent adaptation, overall. Definitely a few things to be all "Nyer" about, but, honestly? You can't make a movie without those. Thinky Thoughts, in no particular order:
Agreed on the early elements of sick-Panem-is-sick. I felt like it fizzled a bit when we got to the actual Games, but I was feeling it big time at the beginning (ironically with pretty much zero violence other than a bloody brick). Maybe I just reached painfully tired levels, though, so I'll watch it again and see what I think
( ... )
I totally understand the time constraints of movies, but I really do mourn that we didn't get more of the other tributes. Mr. Ross? Can we please have some stuff off the cutting-room floor?
Clove/knives OTP 4EVA!
I've got sort of an idea banging around my head of what they do with the Capitol folks after the war. Head!canon says they exile most of them--force them out into the districts to work, replacing those who were killed in the war--and I'd love to eavesdrop on the thoughts of some Capitol girl in the tribute age range as she's forced out of her life of privilege.
Ah, so that's why I haven't been able to come up with anyone to even vaguely ship Clove with other than bffsoulmates with Cato. SHE'S DATING KNIVES. Not gonna think about the implications of this.
My heart actually bled for the Capitol kids there, which was totally unexpected (and an awesome touch). They're being destroyed, too, just in a different way than, say, the Careers. And the guilt if they ever realize it is such a burden, and we've seen that the Capitol isn't kind to its 'traitors.' Yeah, this is me feeling sorry for unlikely characters again. IT'S A KID THING.
On that note, I've actually wondered/worried about what they'd do with the Career training centers post-rebellion. Those kids' worlds just got destroyed, and I can imagine the rebels wouldn't think too kindly of a bunch of dangerous teenagers spouting crap about "long live President Snow, TRUE PANEM WILL RISE AGAIN" or whatever. This... concerns me. Hope Enobaria was able to go to bat for them.
Hey, what do you think of the idea of dropouts/cuts from the Career Academy often going on to be Peacekeepers? I'd imagine District 2 would encourage that choice, as it would get them out of the district.
I think it's Rue's idea for the tracker jackers in the book, too? Oh, no, she just points at them and it's Katniss's idea to cut it down. I always deciphered it as that's what Rue was implying, but maybe Rue was just warning her to be careful of them. But the little sawing motion in the movie that Rue makes fits so well with her knife prank. <3
My showing just kept laughing at Effie - I think because we all knew someone like her, so it was a brilliant caricature.
She just points to them. I saw it as warning Katniss about them, but Collins might have been implying that Rue was suggesting a course of action. If so, she decided to make that explicit in the movie.
Effie was definitely comic relief, but she had a serious point.
The pin thing was a completely understandable change. In the next book, we get the background on the pin, that it belonged to Maysilee, who was in Haymitch's Games. But it's too much to introduce Madge, who's really a very minor character, for the few seconds she'd spend onscreen.
I could've lived with more steadicam, too, but I understand why Ross chose to use it in certain scenes. It was effective at the Cornucopia bloodbath for getting across the violence without making it overwhelming.
See azelmaroark up there? Take a look at her Career fanfic. It certainly changed my perspective on them.
Yeah the pin thing worked and introducing Madge would have just been silly given that they wouldn't have the screentime to show her background and as you said, she's a minor character. Cutting her out makes more sense than keeping her in.
Yeah I think the camera moves were very deliberate but it made some bits very hard to watch. IT was actually very hard on the eyes.
Oooh I'll definitely have to check that out. Thank you!
Brilliant post! Would you mind if I linked to it in my LJ?
Interesting, I'd always assumed that Rue gave Katniss the idea to drop the nest in the book too, but I just pulled it out to reread the scene (and amazingly enough opened the book right at that spot - how often does that happen ;) ), and I can see that it could just as easily be read as Rue just wanted to warn her. Funny how it's possible to read more into things than the author wrote.
I liked her showing compassion to Katniss as well - it set up the start of their friendship quite nicely. I'm not sure I understand why she did it, but I liked that she did.
Yeah, that scene can be read either way. As Collins helped write the screenplay, perhaps this was her way of clarifying matters.
In the book, Rue had already chosen Katniss as a possible friend because of her mockingjay pin. In the movie, we didn't get that, so it was a little out of nowhere. Maybe we were just supposed to figure any enemy of the Careers would be Rue's friend.
I think most viewers will be like dlgood and figure out that Rue's a stand-in for Prim with Katniss. While I do wish we'd gotten more, I'm overall glad the director thought people would be smart enough to pick up on that.
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Clove/knives OTP 4EVA!
I've got sort of an idea banging around my head of what they do with the Capitol folks after the war. Head!canon says they exile most of them--force them out into the districts to work, replacing those who were killed in the war--and I'd love to eavesdrop on the thoughts of some Capitol girl in the tribute age range as she's forced out of her life of privilege.
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My heart actually bled for the Capitol kids there, which was totally unexpected (and an awesome touch). They're being destroyed, too, just in a different way than, say, the Careers. And the guilt if they ever realize it is such a burden, and we've seen that the Capitol isn't kind to its 'traitors.' Yeah, this is me feeling sorry for unlikely characters again. IT'S A KID THING.
On that note, I've actually wondered/worried about what they'd do with the Career training centers post-rebellion. Those kids' worlds just got destroyed, and I can imagine the rebels wouldn't think too kindly of a bunch of dangerous teenagers spouting crap about "long live President Snow, TRUE PANEM WILL RISE AGAIN" or whatever. This... concerns me. Hope Enobaria was able to go to bat for them.
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My showing just kept laughing at Effie - I think because we all knew someone like her, so it was a brilliant caricature.
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Effie was definitely comic relief, but she had a serious point.
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I could've lived with more steadicam, too, but I understand why Ross chose to use it in certain scenes. It was effective at the Cornucopia bloodbath for getting across the violence without making it overwhelming.
See azelmaroark up there? Take a look at her Career fanfic. It certainly changed my perspective on them.
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Yeah I think the camera moves were very deliberate but it made some bits very hard to watch. IT was actually very hard on the eyes.
Oooh I'll definitely have to check that out. Thank you!
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Interesting, I'd always assumed that Rue gave Katniss the idea to drop the nest in the book too, but I just pulled it out to reread the scene (and amazingly enough opened the book right at that spot - how often does that happen ;) ), and I can see that it could just as easily be read as Rue just wanted to warn her. Funny how it's possible to read more into things than the author wrote.
I liked her showing compassion to Katniss as well - it set up the start of their friendship quite nicely. I'm not sure I understand why she did it, but I liked that she did.
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Yeah, that scene can be read either way. As Collins helped write the screenplay, perhaps this was her way of clarifying matters.
In the book, Rue had already chosen Katniss as a possible friend because of her mockingjay pin. In the movie, we didn't get that, so it was a little out of nowhere. Maybe we were just supposed to figure any enemy of the Careers would be Rue's friend.
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I think most viewers will be like dlgood and figure out that Rue's a stand-in for Prim with Katniss. While I do wish we'd gotten more, I'm overall glad the director thought people would be smart enough to pick up on that.
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