The James Logan Courier

By Yari Nieves-Rivera, Courier Book Editor

Being one of the many Hunger Games fans that has waited for an eternity to see the movie, it seemed fitting for me to go to the midnight premiere. On a Thursday night, I sat outside for four hours and waited for this movie, one of the most hyped up movies in the world. I sat in the theater and waited with anticipation, hoping that my dearest hopes would be portrayed in the movie. I didn’t know what to expect, but now I know what I should have.

I can only say that the sacrifice that fans like myself and others made to watch this film was worth it.

Only a week since it has come out, and it has broken records, and has even surpassed the record set by the Twilight films for opening weekends. Old fans and new fans alike waited with high anxiety, for the film that was mentioned on almost every channel, and was hyped beyond belief.
Lionsgate had to make a very important group of people happy by making this movie: the fans. The fans, who had been following the book series and its film adaptation since late 2008. With the third installment, Mockingjay, coming out last year, they knew that the core was young adults and that we were not going to be happy if it followed in the steps of the Twilight series. Lionsgate did a very good job of listening, to be honest.

With such an incredible task ahead of them, the director and cast did a great job of portraying very complex characters in dangerous and terrifying situations. The story of Katniss Everdeen can represented as well as it has been by Jennifer Lawrence, who took the role and turned it into her own part. Lawrence really shined in the performance, something that was quite unexpected of a very unknown actress. Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, and Liam Hemsworth also did very good jobs in portraying their characters, Peeta Mellark, Haymitch Abernathy, and Gale Hawthorne.

But, if there is one touching performance in this movie it is the performance of Amandla Stenberg, the young girl who played Rue. The touching tale of this young girl touched the hearts of many of the people who have watched the film. For such a critical part in the movie, she did an amazing job. Her characterization of the role truly shows the horror that comes from experiencing The Hunger Games, especially for those who survive.

Another thing that Lionsgate did very well was follow the story. Personally, this is one of the best film adaptations of a science fiction novel that I have ever seen. With the author, Suzanne Collins, at hand while writing the script, it seemed so much more close and reminiscent of the story’s message and meaning. Its gory style emphasizes how truly horrifying the Capitol can be, and how the actions of today’s society can one day lead to this happening.

As a fan of the books, I must say that I was truly astonished by how great this movie was. Being severely disappointed by previous books that have been turned into movies, I went in expecting a moderate movie, but came out with the shock of my life. The filming was beautiful, the detail was great, and the emotions that I felt while watching it were unlike any I had felt while watching a movie before. The movie truly touched me, and although it was different from the novel in some aspects, it followed the book and answered many unanswered questions from the book.

In that sense, I still suggest that people read the books; although the movie follows the story well, it has differences that are key. It is a completely different experience to read the book and using your imagination than to watch the movie. They are both a very good series, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the movie adaptations of Catching Fire and Mockingjay, the most crucial and conclusion to the story. Overall, I give The Hunger Games a round of applause and suggest it to anyone who wants to simply see an amazing movie.