Lost in Adaptation: The Hunger Games

Great review. This was actually a favorite of my class and when we went to see it as a group, it was one of the best dinners I had sitting with my students discussing milkshakes and what was different between the movie and the book. I think you were spot on in your review and look forward to you reviewing all the series!

David Perez

Longest episode? Feels like a good milestone! Something I find neat about the film is that the extra scenes with President Snow weren't originally in the script. After reading the script, Donald Sutherland really wanted the role (which had something like one line originally) and wrote a letter to the director, including his interpretation of the character. He was so impressed that not only did Sutherland get the role, but they added extra scenes in the movie using parts of what he wrote.

The film sequel; Catching Fire, is quite amazing, as it makes the flaws of the previous film quite obvious and seem like a worse film because of it. That and it is a pretty awesome film.

Dominic Ford

Great review!

Felli

What a great review - one of your best! Your passion for the both the movie and the book really shines through :) I'm glad you mentioned the bit about Katniss' "fake" love being revealed to Peta at the end of the book, but not the movie - I finished the book at 4 AM and was devastated that the second one wasn't out yet, so I had to wait to see how Katniss and Peta resolved that issue between them.

"My most beautiful of watchers" - Aw! Dom was talking about Amy and me. ;-) Great review as always, you almost make me want to read the books - except for the fact I am sick and tired of teenage protagonists and am dying for a middle aged "chosen one" motif. And even though you did recently do Caroline which is one I've read and seen, I can't wait until you do something else I've actually read and/or seen. (There's sometimes I refuse to see the movie version because I hate who's cast.) I'm starting to wish I was super duper rich so I could fly you into America to do some crossovers I'd love to see. While I know you're not a huge fan of horror I'd love to see you do at least one of the horror/suspense ones I requested as a crossover with The Horror Guru and maybe even Count Jackula. And while I'm not a huge fan of Lovecraft (I don't find his stories that scary) I would love, love, LOVE to see you do a Lost In Adaptation of a Lovecraft story turned into a movie as a crossover with Leeman Kessler from Ask Lovecraft. Imagine, H. P. Lovecraft doing the "What they changed" part of LIA. But, alas, I'm just a poor library clerk. :-(

Great episode. Please do what the books and movies should have done and stop at the first one!

Zachery Egan

Yay! You've seen Battle Royale! Perhaps that could be an episode one day.

"I'm on fire..."

Meg Scrabble

Worth waiting for! It was really neat to hear how your opinions about the film changed when you read the book--I always appreciate your honesty about stuff like that. :3 I think you hit a good balance between acknowledging the film's shortcomings (that shaky-cam and Jennifer Lawrence's blankness, however faithful the latter may be) and the triumphs which it achieved as an adaptation. Any plans to do the later movies? I quite enjoyed Catching Fire but I'm wary of sinking the necessary time to watch Mockingjay.

Amy Reynolds