The Hunger Games

SPAZZ MODE ALERT

Gotta be my latest obsession. Been sacrificing sleep and time in class just to read all 3 books on my phone. Got hooked very quickly. What triggered me to start reading the trilogy was because of the movie trailer for the first book! Freaking intense and where trailers are concerned, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.

There’s even a trailer spoof but I’m not gonna embed it ‘cos I find it quite dumb and I don’t like it -_-

Am really excited for the movie which is really saying something because I usually lag like crazy instead of anticipate something. Like I haven’t even watched Lion King once despite it being everyone’s childhood and a famous tear-jerker. But this trailer is so good and I really hope the movie will be good because I keep thinking about what John Ho said during Marketing – “Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising.”

Tumblr has been on fire (hehehe caught the reference?) ever since the trailer was released which is also how I got to hear about the movie, apart from Dian who had started reading the books. So these are my 2 main reasons for stating the books, and I gotta say I regret nothing! So glad that I did because now I can fangirl along with everyone else on Tumblr :’D

Anyway, I think the casting is perfect. Jennifer Lawrence has captured all of Katniss’ strong will and spirit in just this trailer. I’m so glad she got the role because I don’t think anyone can capture that spirit as well as her! Dark and handsome Gale check. Clean-cut baker boy Peeta check.

Ok I am trying not to talk about ships because if I do, then this post will be endless but let just say I shipped Katniss x Gale in the first 2 books but by the end of the third book, Gale’s character was so ruined that I couldn’t even see them together anymore.Well not that it matters because the books mostly focus on other themes rather than romance.

Politics, war and its consequences, people, sacrifice… I know, so not my usual themes. But it really made me think a lot and I like it when fiction in any form makes me think. Like there is something more to the book/film/show than just the superficial plot(s). It’s scary to think all the things depicted in the books actually do happen in real life.

The final ending in the 3rd book was really terrible actually. Loads of people died and I felt like all their deaths were just swept under the rug, never to be mentioned of again. Which totally didn’t do their awesome characters justice! I get that characters dying are necessary to make a story realistic but at least kill them off the way the deserve it. Only one death was written well and tended to be brought up, and that was in the first book.

And the surviving characters didn’t get enough closure at all. Not one character’s storyline was I happy with by the end. Okay I’m trying not to post any spoilers but in my spazzing mode this is highly impossible plus this is MY blog so I’m just gonna give a warning.

Spoiler alert [highlight to read]

• As expected, Katniss & Peeta ended up together (knew it even before I finished the first book) and I like the ending conversation they had but the epilogue was rubbish and kinda redundant. I mean if you are gonna write it, then make it more significant and longer so that it actually means something.

• Gale was said to have settled down in another district, probably happily married. No further mention of him, nothing from him, nothing. Why, thanks for shoving another of my favourite characters under the rug like he never meant anything, like he was never Katniss’s best friend and near love interest, like he was never a major part of the rebellion. Nevermind that his character was already ruined. From sweet, caring Gale in book 1 to cold-hearted, idealistic machine in book 3.

• Katniss’s sister, Prim (another major character) died and all that happened was Katniss saw her being blown up before passing out. Then she went batshit insane but I couldn’t feel her pain at all. It was written so badly that I barely cried and I cried more at other little scenes. Correct me if I’m wrong but this was her sister right? Who didn’t deserve to die, but was a pawn used to manipulate the war?

• Katiss’s mother, so overwhelmed with grief that shee moved to another district and buried herself in work. Without having even a decent conversation or goodbye with Katniss. Katniss who survived 2 Hunger Games and led a rebellion, who nearly lost her mind. Right. Because this makes sense.

• Finnick, my awesome golden sunshine boy, strong, muscular, incredibly good-looking and also filled with pain but yet fought on bravely for the rebellion’s sake, till he sacrificed himself and died a really painful and horrible death. Never mind that he was too awesome and important to deserve such a ruthless end, his character had so much potential but the writer never delved deep enough. You would have thought that someone as significant as Finnick would have more mention in Katniss’s naration at the ending but nope! Bye Finnick, under the rug you go.

• Annie, love interest of Finnick. Loads of potential but no depth, as usual. Said to have given birth somewhere. Didn’t even know she was pregnant. And she was already mentally unstable and Finnick was the only one she had left. No mention of her reaction to Finnick’s death at all.

• Haymitch, who was like a teacher and father figure to Katniss and Peeta. Always wise, sharp and knew what to do, but buries hismelf in alcohol to numb his pain. Haymitch, sole survivor of Hunger Games in his district before Katniss and Peeta came along. Who survived in an arena with 47 other tributes, double the usual amount. Apparently the Capitol took revenge on him by taking away his family. No further mention of that or his alcohol addiction.

• Cinna. Dear sweet Cinna, who took pride in his work and had courage to stand up to the Capitol, despite knowing that it meant death. Apparently interrogated and tortured to death. Which Katniss hears from someone else. Everything she hears from someone else and she never talks to them or has closure with them.

And many more but these are the main ones that bothered me the most. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that Suzanne Collins didn’t know how to write so she just brushed everything off. But noooo. Her technique and everything are all quite impressive, as shown in earlier books? I love her imagery and the metaphors she uses to describe the war and Katniss’s breakdowns. It’s just the freaking ending! Why couldn’t have she just written an extra few more pages, instead of leaving so many loose ends, I’ll never understand 🙁

Still, it’s a great series and I love it. So many feelings as usual! Darilene started reading awhile after me and we finished around the same time. It was awesome sitting in class, me with my phone and her with her paperback (her mom bought the whole set for her, lucky bitch) and then we were at the same parts and discussing and stuff 😀 Geraldine’s currently at the third book! All 4 of us have the set of books now ^^ woohoo seriously so excited for March 2012!

Already so many fanvids up and some are seriously good, so impressed! And they really follow the books closely :’) I love this one about Haymitch’s games, although the actors seem a bit too clean to be realistic. Sigh where do people get their talent from!!!

There is even a web series about Finnick x Annie and so far 3 episodes are up! This is like the trailer. I swear stuff like these fills up the hole in my heart from the author and the crappy ending in the final book :’)

OKAY AND THE BEST VIDEO EVER…

I’ve watched it so many times that I can memorise the song already. Love it so much okay!!!! So cute and funny and it’s hard not to laugh at how they keep making fun of Peeta and his bread. I love Peeta and his bread bush ok :’D