Those who saw the Hunger Games movie without reading the book first did you like it

I just recently finished the first Hunger Games book and went to see the movie. I thought the movie was decent and was better than a lot of book to movie adaptions. However after leaving the theater I wondered to myself how much I would of liked the movie had I not read the book first.

The book is written in the first person and most of the story development is done through reading Katniss's thoughts. However in movies you can't really delve into characters minds so what was left was just the things that were said between the characters in the book (the movie follows the book almost 100% (which is probably a credit to just how good the book was)). So as a result what you get in the movie is very little development to any characters other than Katniss.

Also because you can't see what Katniss is thinking in the movie you also don't get a real firm grasp over what is going on. I thought to myself that if I hadn't read the book first I would be having a hard time trying to figure out what was going on.

So for those who went to see the movie without reading the book first how did you like the movie. The movie seemed to be made not so much for movie goers in general but for the people who read the book.

Also I know that there is another thread about the Hunger Games but I have yet to read the second or third book and I didn't want to run into any spoilers so I decided to start a new thread that would just concentrate on the first book and the movie.

And please anyone who has read the second/third book don't give away any spoilers as to what happens in those stories. I like to go into stories totally in the dark as to what will happen.

The only two people I know who didn't enjoy the movie were people who had never read the books. They thought the movie was ridiculous and stupid. Everyone else I know, including myself, have read the books and enjoyed the movie.

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Originally Posted by Miriel

The only two people I know who didn't enjoy the movie were people who had never read the books. They thought the movie was ridiculous and stupid. Everyone else I know, including myself, have read the books and enjoyed the movie.

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Yep I think in the way this movie was made that should be expected. The movie doesn't stand on its own very well. Without the book the movie doesn't do a real good job of explaining the world these characters are living in (and again it is because 3/4th of the book took place within Katniss's mind and what she was thinking while the events were taking place. What is funny is that in the book they spend about two or three weeks in the arena while in the movie you would be led to believe they only spent about two or three days in there.

One thing I was dissapointed with the movie about was with the friendships between Katniss and Rue and Katniss and Peetah. In the book these are really the two central stories of the entire thing yet in the movie both stories fall flat and you really don't get any kind of idea over who Peetah or Rue even are yet alone about the friendship they develop with Katniss.

I've never read the book and I loved the movie. It's probably my favorite film of 2012 so far.

I've had the book sitting on my nightstand since two weeks before the movie came out though. :p

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Originally Posted by DMKA

I've never read the book and I loved the movie. It's probably my favorite film of 2012 so far.

I've had the book sitting on my nightstand since two weeks before the movie came out though. :p

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You should definitely read the book then. The book goes into a lot more detail about the world these characters live in. And also goes into a lot more detail over the personality of these characters and the relationships they have with each other.

I brought a guy who hadn't read the book and knew nothing about the story at all. He said "It wasn't bad."

My friend's husband saw the movie without reading the book. He thought Jennifer Lawrence was way hot, that Peeta is a stupid name and refers to the character as Peter, and generally liked the movie. He understood what was going on. It's not really that hard to follow even without reading the book, I don't think. Of course I think I enjoyed it more because I'd read the book before seeing the movie, but that's always true for me.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah I am sure that if I hadn't read the book first I still would of picked up that the kids were in an arena and were fighting to the death.

But what I was mainly referring to is in knowing who all these characters are and the personalities that they are each supposed to have. And the relationships that some of the characters are supposed to have with one another. And most importantly why they have the Hunger Games to begin with. I think they do have a very short video right at the start of the movie that explains why the Hunger Games came about but if you weren't paying close attention during that fifteen second time span that the video was going on I don't think they say anything more about it during the rest of the movie.

I went on a date to the pictures and ended up watching this. I thought I'd be a gentleman and let her choose and if I'm honest I was a bit disappointed with her choice.

I wasn't disappointed with the film though. I thought it was very good. I hadn't read any of the books as I'm currently blasting my way through Game of Thrones. The story wasn't very difficult to follow at all. I loved the the style of the movie and thought the lead actors did a good job.

The character names are definitely lame though. The baker's son is really called Peeta? Pita bread anyone? I also think the film would have benefitted from being much more graphic. I understand the book is aimed at young adults but a bit more gore would definitely have helped crank up the tension.

I definitely enjoyed it though. I'll probably whizz through the books at some point.

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Originally Posted by Bubbaforever

I also think the film would have benefitted from being much more graphic. I understand the book is aimed at young adults but a bit more gore would definitely have helped crank up the tension.

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We, in the UK, got 7 seconds (not much I know) worth of blood splatter and stuff cut from our films so that the rating could be kept down at a 12, probably so all the Twitite child fans could go see it too. That's where some of your gore went

EDIT - So that way of saying Twilight doesn't quite work with the swear filters on here, does it..

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Originally Posted by Bubbaforever

I went on a date to the pictures and ended up watching this. I thought I'd be a gentleman and let her choose and if I'm honest I was a bit disappointed with her choice.

I wasn't disappointed with the film though. I thought it was very good. I hadn't read any of the books as I'm currently blasting my way through Game of Thrones. The story wasn't very difficult to follow at all. I loved the the style of the movie and thought the lead actors did a good job.

The character names are definitely lame though. The baker's son is really called Peeta? Pita bread anyone? I also think the film would have benefitted from being much more graphic. I understand the book is aimed at young adults but a bit more gore would definitely have helped crank up the tension.

I definitely enjoyed it though. I'll probably whizz through the books at some point.

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Actually the book is a lot more descriptive in the killing. It's the movie that tones down the gore. And I am sure it is because if it was more descriptive they would of had to of given it an 'R' rating which would of not allowed all the 15 and 16 year olds who go to the movies with their friends to go see it with each other without an adult present.

Yeah, I understand the decision to tone it down. The books core market is young teenagers and the last thing you want to do is ostracize that group from seeing the film. I actually thought the film was quite clever with the quick cut-away shots that left it to your imagination.

As a late-twenties, red-blooded male though I would have enjoyed a bit more claret to make it seem that much more real. I'll definitely give the books a whirl.

Saw it, liked it, still haven't read the books. I'm thinking I probably won't ever get around to it.

Isn't this movie just an american-ised version of Battle Royale? If so, then yes I enjoyed Battle Royale without reading the book first.

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Originally Posted by Baloki

Isn't this movie just an american-ised version of Battle Royale? If so, then yes I enjoyed Battle Royale without reading the book first.

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It's a possibility that that book had some inspiration on the author to think of this story. Though I think it is more probable that her main inspirations were from shows like Survivor, The gladiators from the Roman Empire, and how popular reality shows are these days.

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Originally Posted by Baloki

Isn't this movie just an american-ised version of Battle Royale?

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Aside of the fact that it's about kids that are forced to fight each other to the death against their will, not really. I mean, yeah, that's the central plot device of both stories, but just about everything surrounding said plot device and the reasons behind it are completely different.

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Originally Posted by DMKA

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Originally Posted by Baloki

Isn't this movie just an american-ised version of Battle Royale?

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Aside of the fact that it's about kids that are forced to fight each other to the death against their will, not really. I mean, yeah, that's the central plot device of both stories, but just about everything surrounding said plot device and the reasons behind it are completely different.

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Yep and that is why I think it was a combination of a few things such as the show Survivor, the Gladiators in Rome, and the current popularity of reality television that played more of a role in creation of the idea.