Does ANYONE besides me think that The Hunger Games are just a LITTLE bit overrated!?

[Ryoutarou]

I always assumed that was because the games had been going on for years and everyone was just desensitized to the violence.

Bingo. That's essentially the message the series tries to send at its very core, they kill, and readily so, because they literally have no other option and because it provides entertainment to the rich, if they try to defy the system, the system will come down on them. (and if you've not read Catching Fire, that's where the system comes down on them)

As far as the emotional stuff goes, the movie sort of glossed over that in a way, we're told to feel a certain way and not allowed to get there on our own. Rue's whole arc in the movie felt like it would have been a cheap ploy at getting tears out of the audience had I not read the books, where Rue and Katniss interact a lot more and Katniss finds parallels in Rue to her sister, these are things not present in the movie.

 

[Madam Cheezy]

Overrated....yes.

BZW Golem already pointed out the Battle Royale comparison. (I saw the movie years ago, and that was the first thing I thought of when all this started to go down.)

Also...Repo Man.

 

[BBA_Beyblader_321]

a LIITLE overrated? Its been waaaaaaaaaay over advertised. I wouldn't pay to see it again. Sure it was a good movie, not dising it in anyway, but people are making way too big of a deal over it.
Its ALL in the fandom -_-

 

[Zephyn]

I really liked the books, but the movies (in my opinion) kind of sucked.

For one thing, a lot of the District 12 actors looked perfectly healthy. Now, this might just be nitpicking, but shouldn't they look like they can't eat half the time?
They. Cut. Out. Madge. She was one of my favorite characters, and when they cut her out, they had to come up with some other way for Katniss to get the pin. Which didn't end up making a lot of sense.

etc etc.

 

[TheFallenUmbreon]

The Movie was quite good, however there were a few parts missing. At least it wasn't COMPLETELY changed like the "Lightning Theif"

 

[Zephyn]

The Movie was quite good, however there were a few parts missing. At least it wasn't COMPLETELY changed like the "Lightning Theif"

You're right, it definitely could've been worse.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Having not read any of the books in the series, I can't comment on how 'authentic' the film was in comparison. To me, while I did like the film on the whole, I had some pretty severe reservations about it. After speaking to some people about this, a fair number of them turned out to be concerns that affected the film only e.g. I didn't care at all about Ru, but the book added a lot more back story; the fight scenes were woefully choreographed, shot and edited. However, a number of them seemed to be criticisms of the tale as a whole, for example: the role of sponsors wasn't adequately addressed, for me personally.

On the whole, I don't think the film is worthy of the OMG-hyper-obsessive praise it's been getting in some quarters of the internet/world. It's a solid teen-oriented sort-of action sort-of political drama. I'm interested to see how the franchise progresses, but I'm not champing at the bit for more.

Jennifer Lawrence, though, was amazing. That can't be denied!

 

[Keiran]

I didn't like the way the book was written. The way Suzanne Collins writes is not well-thought out at all and annoying. The books have an incredibly rushed feel. Some parts were overwhelmed with mediocre details while some crucial moments were barren of description. She doesn't think back-story matters, it seems, but it does. She dumps you into the middle of a story and rushes to the end. By only knowing the nature of the Games, you have read the books. It's so rushed, even, that the whole storyline is predictable and anti-climactic.

As for the movie, I thought it was pretty bad but I wasn't surprised. The books were very simple so parts should have not been cut out that were. The actors didn't really look their part, either. But I don't blame people for being seduced by Josh Hutcherson. ;_;

 

[ToriSora]

People will always think something that is popular is overrated.

 

[Newton]

I read the first book ready to hate it. I was surprised that I did enjoy the book to a degree.
I found that at times it REALLY dragged on and the editor could have easily cuts some small bits.
Yes the writing style isn't that great and I find the books actually undermine the audience, censoring how dark the world that Katniss lives in and hiding the reality. I also agree that the few parts that I REALLY enjoyed were rushed while the least important parts of the story is dragged on and on. 3 Chapters of her hiding in a cave. Three chapters of her wondering the woods.

I enjoyed the movie much more. It has some flaws but it was really well done and it did not shy away how horrible life is. They were also straightforward and did NOT DWELL on some of the most dramatic or annoying parts of the book. I would get in more detail about the style of how it was filmed but I have had a long day. <--- Film Major.

The hype behind the books is a little much. Yes, I do find the books a little overrated but far worse books have received far greater attention.

Overall I will read the other two books and watch the movies but I have no future interest in this franchise.

 

[Ducklighter]

I think the majority of people who tend to have a disdain for the book is probably seen it around too much like Tumblr tended to ***** it out quite a bit even a year before the movie was in the making but I think the concept of the book, the writing and the characters are very interesting and better than some of the book turned movies I've seen. I don't know, it just seems the annoyance is how popular the book has become which is rather sad considering popularity shouldn't have an affect on the story. Then again, I read the book before the hysteria of the movies but I read Twilight after the hysteria and I didn't like it but that's because of the writing.