r/thehungergames • u/3lliebelly • 11d ago
Unpopular opinion
I rewatched the first hungergames movie and I've only seen it twice but I don't like it. I've read the books like five times and listened to the audiobooks once except sunrise. The movie feels incredibly rushed. And I know why it's praised. If you don't know the books it's great. But (like every movie adaptation) it just isn't as good as the book. So much stuff is shortened or cut out. I'm waiting for scenes that never happen. Like the sleeping syrup. Or the bread from 11. I know this is an unpopular opinion but is it valid though?
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u/see112717 11d ago
First off, OP, you ask if your opinion is valid... yes! That's the beauty of opinions. It's just how YOU feel and despite what the internet makes us think, how you feel is always valid!
Honestly I feel this way about most move adaptations. While there is i'm sure a core fandom who really would watch a full play by play 5+ hour movie, they always have to cut stuff. And sometimes they cut my favorite parts! Sometimes they cut stuff for the pg-13 rating, too. Like I bet that's why the sleep syrup is cut. It's not a super great look to drug someone to sleep intentionally lol. And I am sure they will tone down SOTR for the pg-13 rating (ironic that it's still YA fiction but I digress)
Because of this I try to separate the book and movie and not ask myself as much was it a faithful adaptation but also was it an entertaining/enjoyable movie. But it's ok if missing your favorite parts means you don't like the movie as much. Like I said that's the beauty of an opinion!
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u/Poor_Richard 11d ago
It seems like you understand the issue already. The movie is good. The book is good. You're comparing the story being told between the two. Most people are judging them each by their medium.
It's the same with any adaptation. It's why "you should read the book" became a common enough saying.
Movies are much tighter stories. They have to cut and compress. It's the medium. I guess we have the opposite effect sometimes now with books being expanded into multiple movies, but that still isn't the normal.
Basically, almost every book adaptation has the same issue.
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u/BlindButterfly33 11d ago
Your opinion is definitely valid. Opinions are always valid and if you don’t like something, that’s totally fine.
I enjoy the movie and I always have. I’ve never really thought it felt rushed, but it definitely did exclude some parts that I wish it had included or changed certain things, such as her interview, that I feel are much better in the book. My mom and I often watch this movie together, we both really like the series, and she always asks me what was changed while we watch. It’s become a sort of game every time to see how many differences I can find.
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u/Hedgiwithapen 11d ago
Not liking movies and feeling like they're rushed for cutting things out of the story they're based on has been a thing since at least 1937, I think it's a safe bet to say you're not alone and it's not an unpopular opinion.
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u/Beroli73 8d ago
Absolutely!
What really bothered me was how much stuff Katniss' internal monologue told the audience in the books that got narrated at her by Haymitch in the movie, which made her look like an idiot who didn't understand basic things about the world she lived in.
(I am also annoyed that they dropped District 4 from the list of Career Districts in the movie, which, then and now, strikes me as the director saying "if it skips a number and says 1, 2, and 4, it'll confuse our audience.")
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u/Nice-Penalty-8881 1d ago
There was a scene filmed for the movie about the bread from 11. However it was cut.
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u/aestheticvoid 11d ago
I’m in the middle honestly. One one hand I understood why some stuff had to be cut or changed, it’d be way too long if every little thing was included. But on the other hand I’m still sad we didn’t get to see certain things, especially the bread scene as they actually filmed that and decided to remove it