It’s been online for a while now, but I can still remember the giddiness I felt when watching the movie trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES for the first time. District twelve looked as rundown as I imagined, the capital was more futuristic than I expected, and seeing the characters come alive was incredible. And then it all blew up in my face when I saw Katniss hand Primm the famous mockingjay pin. Katniss didn’t give Primm the pin! Madge was the one who gave Katniss the pin! What happened to Madge? My first thought was “If they take out Madge, what else are they willing to sacrifice?” Of course, I wouldn’t have remembered this little detail if I hadn’t just finished reading the book in preparation for the movie.
So do you reread the book before the movie only to be totally let down when it’s not a total carbon copy? Or do you not reread and try to have an open mind and fresh perspective regarding how they are going to take the printed text and bring it alive?
If there’s anything to calm the fears of THE HUNGER GAMES fans out there, then it has to be the fact that the author, Suzanne Collins, is listed as one of the screenwriters. Therefore, I would like to think that because Suzanne played such a huge role in the story, she’s probably not going to change anything too drasticly. Sure, a character like Madge may have to be sacrificed for the greater good, but I’m pretty positive that the relationships among the characters, the main events, and the ending will all remain the same save for a couple tweaks here or there that may only serve to enhance the movie.
I will also say this: the book is always going to be better than the movie. Period. As good as the movies were, the Harry Potter books are that much better. Even though THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies really helped me solidify major characters and geographical locations, the books had a greater depth. I don’t think movies can compare to the worlds and characters that you create in your own mind when you get lost in books. In fact, I think that’s why you get lost in books. That never really happens in movies.
So what do you do? I say save the rereading for after you’ve seen the movie. That way you won’t be jaded as you watch them butcher little plot lines and/or shout out things like, “That didn’t happen in the book!” in the middle of a darkened theater. If anything, you’ll appreciate the book even more once you watch the movie as long as you can get the actors’ appearances out of your head while you read. To this day, I still have Alan Rickman’s face in my mind whenever Harry mentions Professor Snape.
