Anyone read/seen the Hunger Games. If so what did you think of it? (I have a little obsession

Watched the movies, and read reviews of the book. Overall, I think this whole thing is overrated. Especially since the plot is not at all that uncommon.

I love them, it's an excellent series. Definitely the best since HP ended. I thought the movie was good but for people who didn't read the book I feel like a lot was lost (like Katniss' confused feelings towards Peeta, "No I can't like him" and "Is he just doing this for TV?") I also felt like the romance in general was played up in the movie, this isn't Twilight.

I know what you mean. Also they missed out how the mutt-wolves at the end were suppose to be like the tributes, which I thought was an amazing bit of the book. I love Peeta, but he died on me in Mockingjay

I've only read The Hunger Games, which I found to be a real page turner. I loved the movie! I thought it followed the story line closely enough. A movie doesn't have to be exact for me since I understand the concept of artistic license and because I understand how impractical and undesirable it would be for a movie to be 100% faithful to any book. The goal is to keep the overall feeling of the book while translating it into a film audiences will enjoy, and I feel they did that.

There were a few details that I especially enjoyed:

*The casting - most excellent!

*The music that played during the forest scenes: It was reminiscent of Appalachian music, which called to mind Katniss's origins.

*The scene from the reaping: The style of the clothing coupled with the somber expressions and body language of the gathering participants reminded me of the type of scene one might see during the Holocaust. It was a fitting comparison to communicate the type of emotions the crowd would have been feeling as well as a parallel to the horror of the situation.

*The killing scenes during the games were handled artfully to maintain a PG-13 rating, but the effect was that they showed the confusion of the violence without emphasizing the gore. This allowed the focus of the viewer to remain on the characters and the story.

On the down side, I'm not sure the movie would make a great deal of sense without having read the book first. As you pointed out, Shhh and Rodobl95, the movie leaves out some important details that explain the characters' feelings and actions.

It wasn't a perfect movie and the book is hardly what I'd call great literature, but it's certainly good entertainment. People who say that the movie and the book are overrated may want to take a closer look as I've yet to hear one person who has read the book voice that opinion.

I absolutely adore The Hunger Games. I read the books when they first came out (all three within four days) and I was so excited when I saw the movie. What I don't like is how people are comparing it to Twilight or Harry Potter. Other than all three series being geared towards a YA audience, there isn't much in common.

I thought the movie was not only a stellar adaption but also a good quality movie standing on its own. I can see how there might be confusion for viewers who haven't read the book, particularly with Katniss' sudden 'feelings' towards Peeta, but the only way I can think of them changing that would be to have a voice over and that would ruin the feel of the movie, I think.

I have a few points that I just adored about the film:

• The Casting: I've grown up watching Josh Hutcherson and I thought he was an absolutely flawless Peeta. Plus, I really don't mind looking at him for 2 hours. Jennifer Lawrence was also a really amazing Katniss and the rest of the cast fit so perfectly into the roles. The only thing that frustrated me a bit was Alexander Ludwig (Cato) because he was too damn attractive!
• The Music: I thought it made the atmosphere of the woods perfect and the soundtrack (only played in the credits, unfortunately) is immaculate. I never thought I'd like Maroon 5, but hey, apparently they can do something right.
• The Costume Department: I just want to take a moment to appreciate amazing the clothes were in this film, from The Capitol to District 12. It would have been amazing to work in that area for THG.
• The Gore: I had a lot of people telling me that they didn't think there was enough gore in this film, particularly considering how the book is graphic enough that it almost shouldn't be read by YAs. But on the contrary, I thought they did it very well. As there were 20+ deaths, there wasn't a moment where I felt really revolted or grossed out by the visuals. I thought they did it artfully and in a way that is still suitable for younger viewers.
• Seneca Crane's Beard: I don't think I need to say anything more than:

I read the first book (waiting for second to come out on paperback) and saw the movie twice in theater, and I can just gush over how perfect the movie was, casting was great, the arena was perfect, and Seneca Crane's beard, yup, that was nice to. XD I'm a fan!

I don't read the book because I don't like literature/writings that are presented in 1st person POV. I liked the movie- and it's certainly the best film I've seen this year- but somehow I still don't think it's worth all the attention it's has.

I'm glad you spoke up because I always wondered what someone who hadn't read the book would think of the movie. That's interesting.

As a rule, I'm not overly keen on first person narrative either. Usually it takes me a while to get past the awkwardness of it before I can start to get lost in the story itself. That didn't happen with The Hunger Games. It grabbed me pretty quickly.

I reread The Hunger Games before the movie after I finished rereading Harry Potter, the first-person was definitely awkward at first but you get used to it. I think it works well with the book.

I enjoyed the books very much, although I didn't think the sequels were necessary. It's not the most well-written book in the world, I'll admit, but I found it to be so engaging that I read the whole series in two and half days! I love how fast-paced it is. I agree with Robodl95's comment about the first-person writing. I normally avoid books written in the first-person, but it worked well in this case.
I loved the film too, which surprised me! The differences from the book didn't bother me as much as it usually does with films based on books. I think some changes were necessary to help tell the story. In the book, Katniss could tell us everything we needed to know, but that wouldn't have been possible in the film.