Yes, I'm still thinking about The Hunger Games. Some of you commented that the movie plot is identical to the book, so I shouldn't blame the movie makers for the things I was complaining about.
Interesting.
Well it just so happens I recently got done reading a book called 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I'm not a Stephen King fan. The only other book I've read of his is the one he wrote about his writing process. And I fucking loved 11/22/63.
It's about a guy who travels back in time to try and prevent President Kennedy from getting assassinated.
I'm a JFK buff (what does it take to be a buff?), and a time travel buff, so it was right up my alley. But the weird thing is my favorite parts of the book weren't about any of that. What I most enjoyed were the things not involving JFK or Lee Harvey Oswald - the main character gets a teaching gig, he falls in love with a librarian - those were the things that were the most fun.
In fact, being the buff that I am, I didn't agree with some of the decisions that were made in the book. I didn't like his plan for stopping the assassination. I didn't like the ending. Some of the action just plain didn't make sense.
And yet...I loved the book.
So this got me thinking about The Hunger Games, the book vs the movie, and how reading is an entirely different experience than watching a screen.
I forgive the faults in 11/22/63 because I enjoy the words. I enjoyed reading the words. If it was on the screen, and I was watching it, I'd probably get caught up in the stuff I didn't like. The bad choices. But in a book, the bad choices are covered up by the joy of reading.
Everyone who I've ever talked to about the Hunger Games says something along the lines of "I read it in a weekend!" or "I couldn't put it down and had to read all three!". It's the words! The bad stuff in it is overlooked because it's addicting and fun to read. But in a movie, the words are gone. The plot is exposed. The bad choices are revealed. And that's why The Hunger Games movie sucked even though the books are great.
That's my new theory, anyway.
4 comments:
I have to say that in the case of the Hunger Games I think that most people are just willing to forgive a lot no matter the medium. I read your review of the movie having only read the book and thought it was spot on.
So, are you going to actually read the Hunger Game trilogy?
not sure yet
And that is the magic of Stephen King. I have given away more copies of his Different Seasons than I can count -- it's a book of four long short stories, none of which are terror-based. One was made into Stand By Me, another into The Shawshank Redemption. But it's the words that get me every time. I have literally paused my reading of that book just to ponder how awesome the writing is.
I felt much the same way you do about 11/22/63. Was extremely disappointed by the ending and loved the story of his life in the "waiting" years the best.
I will see The Hunger Games, mostly because of the picture the words *didn't* create for me. I want to see the story because the book didn't make me see it as I was reading.
A friend and I were discussing the other day that people don't write books any more, they write the movie they want the book to be turned into. I'd rather have the story in words.
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