Not A Hunger Games Review

Yes, yes, I'm sick of hearing about it already too. But as I sat watching The Hunger Games last Saturday, surrounded by the most annoying film audience I've ever been subjected to, I had some thoughts. Thoughts not so much about the movie, but thoughts about adaptations in general.

My opinion on the movie: poorly directed - or rather, sloppily directed, but otherwise decent. Let's take up a collection and buy Gary Ross a tripod for Catching Fire.

The main problem was that the movie tried to shoehorn in as much as it could from the book. It committed the same sins as the first two Harry Potter movies: a strict attention to plot and little else. I can certainly understand why. After all, you cut a favorite character and fans are horrified, not stopping to think that the character is utterly useless, at least in a film adaptation.

This is a big problem for adaptations, especially adaptations of works with an already large following. The people making these movies have to work extra hard, not just to please audiences in general, but the preexisting fans. Like a preexisting condition, these preexisting fans kind of botch the whole process (either intentionally or unintentionally).

And I think I have it narrowed down. For the most part, I would guess that most fans aren't going to see an adaptation of their favorite book. They're going to see people basically retell them the plot of their book. To act it out. A stage-reading, more or less.

I'm not trying to belittle the mindset because it's entirely understandable. If you grow to love characters from a book, it becomes atrocious to suggest changing them or altering their story. You're expecting the film to work hard to stick to the script, not be an enjoyable film on its own. Zeus forbid the director do something different with the material, cut stuff that needs cut, or bring their own ideas into the mix.

To be fair, sometimes this tinkering leads to a much worse project (see I Am Legend or Percy Jackson - I'm not writing out the entire title. Fuck you, Chris Columbus).

Actually, hold on - Chris Columbus has botched adaptations in both ways. I know the man wrote my favorite movie ever, but he brought a bland, paint-by-numbers pair of Harry Potter movies to the screen (I'm being harsher than I actually feel, but it sounds better to be harsh) and then inexplicably changed some great ideas from the Percy Jackson series with that debacle. That man just . . . he really just shouldn't direct. I'll give him the first two Home Alones, but that's it.

But yeah, it's okay to change stuff, but I understand getting prickly about changes too. Example: during The Two Towers, when Faramir says eff it, we're taking these hobbits to Osgiliath and turning the ring in, I had a little groan in my belly as I felt the film really leap the rails laid down by the books. But you know what - it made sense. Move Shelob to the third movie and have a halfway decent action scene at the city coupled with an awesome speech by Sam. Cut to Gollum's turning evil again and you end the second movie pretty well.

Ah, we're at the point where I've forgotten the point and hastily write off a conclusion, but let me see if I can salvage. I guess what I'm saying is that we need fewer safe adaptations. Adaptations that stand on their own as films, not adaptations. If fans are so blinded that they demand word for word recounts, then they can go find comfort in their books and stick to their imagination. If they can see through to a well done film that might differ from their vision, then all the better.

So far as good adaptations go . . . well, most feel lifeless and boring to me, partially because I've read the books and see little new that the movies are offering. I usually cite Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as the greatest book-to-film adaptation (and it's remarkably faithful too: bonus points). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban really nails the feel of the book while changing and omitting key aspects. Hell, The Shining changes tons from the book and is an amazing movie (though King is apparently not a fan). Still, overall, I think adaptations need to stop focusing solely on staying faithful to the plot and instead look at what will translate to film best and most efficiently. Then we might get some truly amazing works instead of stage readings.

Having said that, the tracker jacker scene was well done.