Hi everyone! With the release of the The Hunger Games prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes today, I decided to re-read and re-watch The Hunger Games for a book vs movie comparison! The Hunger Games series is one of my favorites and I’m so excited to watch the new movie! This post contains spoilers, so read on with caution! I hope you enjoy The Hunger Games book vs movie comparison!
Synopsis
From the ashes of what was once North America lies Panem. With a shining rich Capital that keeps every district in line after the brutal weather and war. Thirteen districts were born to produce needs for the Capital, but then the Dark Days happened when the districts rose up against the Capital. Except twelve were defeated and the thirteenth was obliterated. After the Dark Days new laws were imposed to keep the districts in line and The Hunger Games were started. Where one boy and one girl tribute from each district, aged twelve to eighteen are picked every year and thrown into an arena to fight to the death until one lone victor remains.
It is now the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games and sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen from district twelve makes the shocking decision to volunteer as the tribute to take her younger sister’s place. In her district, it’s necessary to fight to survive, and hopes what small skills she has will give her a fighting chance. Then without meaning she becomes a serious contender with a chance of winning. The Hunger Games is a story of doing what it takes to win, but discovering humanity and love are greater benefits than just surviving.
The Book
- Katniss sells game and strawberries to the Mayor and it shows a connection to his daughter, Madge
- The square sometimes has a “holiday feel” to it
- There is a deeper connection between the baker and Katniss’s family – he visits Katniss before she leaves and tells her he’ll look after Prim
- Madge visits Katniss and gives her the Mockingjay pin, as her district token
- Haymitch is a very sloppy drunk – he throws up on the reaping stage, on the train, etc.
- A girl that Katniss saw when hunting and didn’t help was turned into an Avox that served her
- Katniss and Peeta’s conversation on the roof – added depth to their relationship
- Katniss shows emotion when in the parade – waving, blowing kisses
- Katniss and Peeta are the only two wearing matching outfits for training really amping up the “we’re connected” rouse
- President Snow and the head game maker are only slightly mentioned
- The tributes are on stage for every interview so they all hear each other
- The cornucopia is woven metal, so I was always imagining one that sits on a dining table, so you can imagine my shock at the one that’s in the movie
- It takes Katniss a while to find water and she becomes severely dehydrated
- Katniss almost falls out of the tree when she discovers Peeta is with the career tributes – it shows the absolute shock she has
- Katniss wakes up from the tracker jacker stings alone and confused – she later finds Rue and teams up
- After Rue’s death district 11 sends Katniss their bread, which she knows because of a lunch break during training when Peeta tells her about the different breads being offered for each district
- A good chunk of the book is scenes spent in the cave when Katniss is caring for Peeta and it shows a lot of depth to both of their characters and their relationship – they have really meaningful conversations and tender moments that make the romance seem plausible
- Katniss has to give Peeta sleeping medicine to go to the “feast”
- The mutts having the dead tributes’ characteristics
- When Cato falls off the cornucopia Katniss does not shoot an arrow to kill him. Cato is being attacked by the mutts all through the night and into the morning, 5 pages worth – it’s horrifying
- The whole ending interview between Katniss and Peeta is just so full of emotion and tenderness
- There is a severity to the ending scene when Peeta realizes Katniss has been faking the romance, but ends with her feeling regretful
The Movie
- Madge does not exist
- The square is very dark and depressing with concrete/dark brick
- The baker never visits Katniss and there is no mention of him
- Katniss gets the pin from the Hob to give to Primrose, but then she gives it back to Katniss, not as a district token (Cinna later sneaks it onto her jacket in the games)
- He’s definitely drunk, but not sloppy
- This scene was cut
- This scene didn’t happen because the Avox scene was cut
- Katniss is very stoic and hard
- All of the tributes wear matching outfits
- The head game maker and President Snow’s characters have bigger roles, which makes sense because you need other perspectives in the movie
- Each tribute enters and exits for their interviews
- The cornucopia is this flat metal thing, not at all what I imagined, very industrial-looking
- Katniss easily finds water on the first day
- She does not fall out of the tree – there is shock, but the reaction isn’t as striking
- Rue is around when Katniss wakes up after the stings – I like how they re-worked this scene so that they were together sooner
- The District 11 bread scene doesn’t happen because the lunch scene was cut, but I wish it was still included because it showed the depth of caring from the district with how Katniss treated Rue
- The cave scenes are much shorter and the depth of their conversations isn’t the same as in the book – it seems a lot more forced and abrupt
- Katniss just gets up and leaves when Peeta is sleeping
- The mutts are just big dogs
- After Cato falls off the cornucopia Katniss immediately shoots him
- The interview in the movie just doesn’t hold the same emotion as the book
- There’s only a short scene showing how they’ll just pretend it didn’t happen, no real deep emotion
Overall Thoughts
The book is better, but that’s always my stance on any adaptations! I think the movie is a good adaptation of the book, but there are a few scenes or moments I wish were in the movie. I know that things being cut were necessary, so it wasn’t a 5-hour long movie. But overall I feel like the movie didn’t have the same emotion as the book. However, I still 100% enjoy the movie! I have watched it so many times I’ve lost count! I really liked seeing the world of Panem and the characters come to life!
The biggest thing for me is the moments between Katniss and Peeta. The book does such a good job of showing how in love Peeta was with Katniss and how she was just doing it for the game, but slowly actually falling for him. I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I feel like the movie Katniss was very cold and not as open/compassionate. A prime example is the cave scenes in the book when Katniss is taking care of Peeta, they are tender and filled with caring and meaningful conversations. However, they were extremely short in the movie, which makes sense for the flow, but I feel it would have added more depth to Katniss and Peeta’s dynamic. The relationship and emotion seemed forced, whereas in the book I felt genuine moments. I know the book isn’t about the romance, but it is the underlying thread that ties everything together, so I just wish it was better portrayed.
Another thing is that Katniss has a lot more emotion in the books. You see her fearful, break down and cry, be compassionate, be open and loving. You do see that in the movie, but not nearly as much. Her character just doesn’t have the same amount of depth. I think a lot of that is the timing of the movie, it wouldn’t flow as quickly or easily if there were more emotion-driven scenes.
Lastly, the mutt scene traumatized me when I was reading the book as a kid! When Katniss realizes that the mutts have the human characteristics of the dead tributes, and have their eyes! I was horrified! The movie does not show that at all, the mutts appear to just be very big dogs. Also, in this scene when Cato falls off the cornucopia and the mutts attack him, he gets attacked for 5 PAGES before Katniss finally shoots an arrow to kill him. It’s just awful! I am glad in the movie that she immediately shoots him.
Overall I would give the book to movie adaptation 8/10 stars! It is a great book and movie series whether you compare them to each other or not! I recommend reading and watching the series!
I hope you enjoyed The Hunger Games book vs. movie post! Check out the Books category for book recommendations and more book vs movie comparisons! Give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! Thank you for your continued support!
Take care and stay safe,
Renée
Excellent summaries without giving away too much. Bottom line, is read the lines!
Thank you!