Movie Review... kinda...

The Hunger Games

Yes. I READ and WATCHED it.

Stop laughing... really I swear I did. 

Most of you who know me; know that I am NOT a reader. The reason for this is that I used to think "reading books for fun was for losers" Mainly because my sisters did this.

  (YES TIFFANY AND NICOLE I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU) 

In High School I read ONLY what was required and it killed me to be sitting there when I could be out running wild, or playing soccer or just overall wasting time with my friends. 

Why would I sit my happy butt inside and read a book??

Fast-forward a few SHORT years to me now~

I think I like reading.

I like sitting back letting the kids play while I read. First it started with Magazines; Cosmo, In Style, Parents... then my little sister got me into the Twilight Series. (shout out to SHARON!!) 

I distinctly remember telling her "Do you REALLY think I am going to enjoy a book about some gay vampire and boys that turn into ware wolves?" Of course she said "Yes I do!" She bothered me for MONTHS about this... finally I decided to start reading them. 

I was living at my in-laws house, Hailey was about 15 months old and I was pregnant with Landon. I really had nothing better to do so I started reading the first book. I could not put it down... 

LOVED IT!! Read ALL the books in the series!! 

The next person to introduce me to some good reading was my friend Lauren Baker. I am sure we were talking about nothing important and somehow she learned that I did not really like to read. She asked me if I had ever heard of Nicholas Sparks. I had not. She told me his books were AMAZING then told me most of his books become the blockbuster hits... Dear John was almost in the theaters; she told me I could borrow her books and  then we could go see the movie... my new favorite author... I like to call him... NICKO SPRKS! His ghetto name... 

(why do the people at the Library look at me like I am crazy when I ask if they have any Nicko Sprks books?? Oh that's right...)

And Last but not least ALL the people who told me to read the Hunger Games Series... my Mother, my Wednesday night walking buddies, and the person who convinced me it would not be a waste of time ~ My husband... Matto! (yes I shorten peoples names and put an "O" on the end for fun, you caught me!)

SO ONTO THE REVIEW...

(sorry I got a little sidetracked...)

You always hear people say "The book is ALWAYS better than the movie." I have to agree with the few books I have read that had a movie associated with them. I find the same to be true with this series as well.

Matt and I saw the movie last Friday Evening. I was telling my friend Debbie about Matt wanting to go see the movie. She told me she wanted to go see it as well with her husband so she and I decided to "kid swap" to get a date night out. (we watched her kids last night for her date night) We meet our friends the Cutts at the theater and I was so excited for the movie to start. I had just finished the first book a day earlier so it was FRESH in my mind. Amalia and Brent Cutts had not read the book, but after seeing the movie decided it was a must read!!

I am writing this review thinking you have already READ the book and WATCHED the movie...

LOVE the movie! The characters they picked for roles were great! I love reading a book without any pre-conceived notions about WHO or WHAT someone looked like. I loved the casting in this movie!

The places and things they presented in the film made the book come more to life for me. I was worried that my mind would have played weird tricks on me, but what I had imagined for most of the places described in the book is what they showed on the big screen. They left out little things here and there that I felt needed to be part of the story, but nothing that I felt would be too big of a deal. For instance, the movie shows Prim giving the Mocking jay pin to Katniss when she is going to leave for the games. In the book it was given to her by the mayors daughter Madge. Small different detail; would it make a difference?

Something PERSONALLY different for me... while reading the book I REALLY liked Peeta for Katniss. It never even crossed my mind that Gale "her friend" from back home was a love interest. While watching the movie they played up the love triangle like CRAZY! Constantly cutting to a shot of Gale when the games were being played and kisses exchanged...

I really liked how the book was from Katniss' view. She explained everything to us, and we were all on the same page. Watching the move without reading the book first could be a little confusing. I was hoping that the movie would have the same dialogue; possibly Katniss' thoughts being shared from time to time, but they did not do that. All the death scenes played out about the same, not too many differences. Just the end when Katniss, Peeta, and Cato were on the Cornucopia. In the book Cato was too tired from running from the mutations that he laid on the top catching his breath. In the movie he went for Peeta right away and the fight ended so much sooner than I had imagined from what the book told me. ALSO in the book both characters Katniss and Peeta put some of the berries in their mouth and had to spew them out and wash their mouths out in the lake. In the scene they did for the movie they just come close to putting the berries in their mouths. The book also shared what it took to get the tributes ready after the battle was over and the movie did not. 

Sorry to have just random ramblings about book vs. movie differences for a review... let me put it this way ~

The movie was over 2 hours long, I bet they wish they could have made it a little longer and put everything from the book in it, so I say overall I LOVED both! My FAVORITE line...

I recommend Reading them book, THEN seeing the movie ~ 

THEN I ask you to return to my blog and answer this question...

Are you Team Peeta or Team Gale??