The Hunger Games (film)

[looneymoon]

I thought Katniss wasn't showing enough affection to be honest.

I don't even remember her so much as much as smiling at him.

That was my problem imo. It was TOO forced. In the book you get the impression that she does have genuine affection for him, she's just very proud about admitting it for necessities sake. Then by the time the games are over she really starts to confront them seriously.

Of course they have two more movies to build that up, but I think it would've been nice to have had a more solid foundation for a romance because I honestly felt nothing there between the two actors.

 

[Tennyo]

Nah, I thought it was perfect. Being awkward and feeling forced is exactly what it is supposed to be. In the book it's not about pride for Katniss. She's being what she considers to be practical.

Spoiler

She forced her feelings for Peeta during the Games and pretended to be in love with him for the sole purpose of getting sponsors, because having sponsors helps you survive.

Spoiler

She faked it after the games were over because the Capitol thinks her move with the berries was an act of rebellion that will cause all of the districts to revolt

Spoiler: spoiler again

which is exactly what happens later in the series

. Once again, Katniss is only thinking of survival. She can't be at odds with the Capitol and she can't cause a war because what would happen to her mother and, most importantly, her younger sister if she did?

That's what I like the most about this series, and it seems to be what most people just don't seem to understand. A strong teenage female protagonist that is concerned about something other than romance.

So the marketing departments pretend this series revolves only around the almost non-existent love triangle when they compare it to Twilight in order to capture that demographic for the sake of profits.

Yes, Katniss does care for Peeta. She also cares about Gale. Of course she would. She's not made of stone. But in love? Wanting to have a romantic relationship with either of them? Not at this point in the story.

Spoiler: That's why this comic was my favorite of the Hunger Games comics that were posted

Yeah, I know that comic isn't really how it goes, but close enough for my liking.

Either way, the excuse she gives Peeta in that comic is actually something she thinks about in the books.

Spoiler

She never wants to get married because she never wants to have kids because she figures that with the Capital as mad at her as it is most likely any kids she has will be purposely chosen to fight in the Games. It wouldn't take much to make it all a seem like a stroke of chance.

 

[looneymoon]

Katniss' interest in Peeta isn't completely forced in the book the way the film seemed to depict imo. She doesn't admit it to herself, but it's really obvious to the reader that she's enamoured by him. It's not her primary concern because she is a character who has her priorities, but it's still really hard to miss.

 

[Tennyo]

I still wouldn't use the word "enamored," though. I didn't really see it like that.

She is a bit confused, and like I said she does care for him. I'm not saying she isn't attracted to him.

There's just other things that she finds to be more important. Romance can wait.

And the love story is supposed to be forced. Regardless of how she may feel she has no intent of actually being in a relationship with Peeta.

 

[looneymoon]

wait

why am I complaining about an awkwardly unbelievable romance.

back off boys jennifer lawrence is my future wife ok she just doesn't know it yet :')

 

[Tennyo]

Problem solved.

 

[Dawnbreaker]

I don't think this is a spoiler but...is anyone thinking that that relationship is awkward because of Peeta (wtf is that name, call him Peter), started off by betraying her, and wasn't wholy supportive of her after? Only after she becomes an asset to survive does he actually show any real care for her, and I can't help but feel it's all for show. Maybe I'm totally off my rocker, but that's the impression I got. Feels like he's just using her to survive.

 

[Tennyo]

I think that's the first time I've heard anyone say that about Peeta.

Spoiler

Peeta is most definitely not using Katniss. He genuinely has feelings for her while she just fakes it for show. And while she does come to care for him as a good friend and ally, as I said before she's not interested in a relationship where as Peeta is.

No, most of what he does is for her benefit. He joined up with the Careers because he figured he could lead them astray. The reason why he wanted to train alone with Haymitch was probably because of his feelings for her. Maybe he just wanted some alone time to talk to Haymitch about it.

 

[Kuroto]

I apologise for any spoilers that might be in my text, don't know how to hide them (if I even can do that yet?).

I agree with Elena. It's actually more other way around in my opinion. I'm not saying Katniss wanted to hurt Peeta by any means, but she did use him to survive the first games. But I must say that Katniss was unsure if Peeta's feelings were true or not either.

I think Katniss's and Peeta's relationship is one of the things that wasn't as clear in the movie as in the book. If I hadn't read the book, it would have been hard for me to tell if Katniss and Peeta really had something between them, and whose feelings were true and whose not. The first book's ending was really the point where it was made clear, but that scene was left out from the movie.

 

[Dana Scully]

just got back from seeing it, really enjoyed it. too lazy to make any decent review right now but

I think Katniss's and Peeta's relationship is one of the things that wasn't as clear in the movie as in the book. If I hadn't read the book, it would have been hard for me to tell if Katniss and Peeta really had something between them, and whose feelings were true and whose not. The first book's ending was really the point where it was made clear, but that scene was left out from the movie.

qft

also

gale is hot

 

[Marle]

I gave the movie a 7/10.

I didn't mind it and for the most part, they stayed true to the book.

Jen and Josh had absolutely no on screen chemistry which is sad. I got sibling vibe from them more than romance. It's very evident they would never ever date irl. And that's not good for a three part series.

But maybe I'm biased because I really hate Josh Hutcherson and he's playing my fave character, Peeta. His acting isn't even bad. He just isn't Peeta.

Plus, I agree with Rishi.

Spoiler

Katniss may have seemingly faked all of it at the end of book 1 but she spends a lot of book 2 in turmoil and angsting over the fact that Peeta is upset and she's no longer sure if it was fake. She's bad at feelings and she's having a hard time telling real from fake. Hence the major conversation they have where they come clean about what is real and what isn't.

 

[Tennyo]

I find it interesting when people say that Hutcherson doesn't make a good Peeta when Suzanne Collins seems very adamant that Hutcherson is Peeta as how he appeared in her head while writing the series.

But either way, all this talk about Katniss and Peeta's relationship is starting to confuse me. On where all of us stand, anyway. I still feel like people were hoping for too much from this movie in terms of romance when the story was never setting out to deliver that from the get go nor should it have tried to.

I guess I really don't know how to explain it again.

 

[Lex]

I find it interesting when people say that Hutcherson doesn't make a good Peeta when Suzanne Collins seems very adamant that Hutcherson is Peeta as how he appeared in her head while writing the series.

But either way, all this talk about Katniss and Peeta's relationship is starting to confuse me. On where all of us stand, anyway. I still feel like people were hoping for too much from this movie in terms of romance when the story was never setting out to deliver that from the get go nor should it have tried to.

I guess I really don't know how to explain it again.

I get where you're coming from. When reading the books, the romance is kind of the tiny sub-plot in a much more important overarching story that doesn't actually revolve around the "love triangle". In fact, the romance has very little to do with the overall plot when it gets right down to it. The interaction between Katniss and Peeta that is necessary for the plot of the movie is there, I suppose that's why I didn't have a problem with it.

 

[Marle]

I don't really see how saying that the two lead actors have terrible chemistry somehow translates to I expected more focus on the love triangle but whatever.

 

[Tennyo]

Well you said you agree with Rishi and she was making such a point earlier in the thread.

 

[Lex]

Just to clarify, my post wasn't specifically directed at anyone's individual opinion, but the general consensus of disappointment in how the relationship was portrayed on screen. This opinion is really common, and I think it's because people were expecting this intense romance integral to the plot that just wasn't there to begin with.

 

[Marle]

Well you said you agree with Rishi and she was making such a point earlier in the thread.

Hm, that isn't how I saw her argument though. I thought she was just saying that the actors had no chemistry and that it came off as too forced between Peeta and Katniss, which is what I agree with.

I get it was supposed to be forced, but like Rishi said, she did have some sort of feelings for him.

Spoiler

That's exactly what gets her so confused in book 2.

Anyways, maybe we misinterpreted one another but I don't think Rishi was arguing for more LT juiciness. Or at least, that wasn't my point.

Let me clarify; the moments between the two that were depicted in the movie were perfectly fine. I was not expecting any more than what was shown because it followed the book. That is not what was disappointing. It was the chemistry between the two actors.

It felt way too forced and awkward and I got nothing out of it.

It was just god awful, imo.

This did not make the movie bad. As I said, I gave it a 7/10. It was a minor detail I noted and did not like but I'm not sitting her and judging this movie based on the romance because no, the romance in the book was never something epic.

But I did enjoy Peeta and Katniss' relationship as it grew because it was sort of messed up.

I just don't see Josh and Jen pulling that off when they have no chemistry already and it's only the first movie.

 

[Kuroto]

But maybe I'm biased because I really hate Josh Hutcherson and he's playing my fave character, Peeta. His acting isn't even bad. He just isn't Peeta.

I think it's odd that people don't seem to like Josh as Peeta, because I agree with the author, as I think Josh is exactly like I imagined Peeta when reading the book.

And I think the fact that it may have seemed a bit forced between Jennifer and Josh is not that bad, because I'd say that in the book Katniss had to force herself, at least in the beginning,

Spoiler

and like we know from the last book, Katniss isn't really good with faking.

But you are right Tifa, they must do a much better job in the next two films.

 

[looneymoon]

But either way, all this talk about Katniss and Peeta's relationship is starting to confuse me. On where all of us stand, anyway. I still feel like people were hoping for too much from this movie in terms of romance when the story was never setting out to deliver that from the get go nor should it have tried to.

My problem is that by making the Katniss/Peeta thing too vague it kind of ironically fuels the LTD stuff more, if that makes sense? In the book it's hammered down to the point where the LT is really not even a thing. Looking at the movie without the knowledge of the book it didn't come across that way at all.
As a viewer I have no emotional investment into Peeta/Katniss and don't care to see it develop in future films because the way it comes across in the first one is that there's no spark between them anyway. Jen and Liam had more chemistry imo and I found it really frustrating. I wasn't trying to say that romance needed more screen time/focus, I just thought what they did have could have been translated better.
I credit it to the acting/chemistry, though I would consider the possibility that the filmmakers directed it in such a way so as to play up the whole Team Gale/Team Peeta drama. I can understand why they'd do that from a marketing standpoint but bluh whatever.

also

gale is hot

Jennifer Lawrence maybe my future wife but god yeah...... i will ignore the whole miley cryus thing

I thought Josh Hutchersen was pretty solid as Peeta. Physically, he looked the part just as I imagined Peeta. I mean, I don't think his acting skills are on par with Jennifer Lawrence's I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with her I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with her... but I wouldn't say he was bad...

 

[Danseru-kun]

Just watched it. I enjoyed it and I think the setting is pretty interesting and the themes are nice. Just my type. I haven't read the books or researched anything so I can't compare.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://io9.com/5899454/awesome-child-given-detention-for-clever-hunger-games-joke


OMG, you guys. I cannot stop laughing about this.



X

 

[Ghost X]

Wow, someone got a detention just for that? Harsh.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

How awesome/terrifying the Muttations COULD have been.


X

 

[Ghost X]

Spoiler

Those things and the forest fire were some of the worst parts in the film, but I figure they're in the story, so I can't blame the film for that exactly.

 

[looneymoon]

It's a shame they didn't use them. Those designs are really cool, with just the appropriate amount of nightmare fuel.