Team Hunger Games

May the odds be in your favor…

And they were!!

Hunger Games came in with a record-breaking $155 million at the box office this weekend. HG was also the third-highest domestic debut of all time, behind only the $169.2-million opening for the final “Harry Potter” installment and the $158.4-million launch of “The Dark Knight.”

I broke the cardinal rule of books-turn-movie. I didn’t read the book. I know, I know, how could I have NOT read Hunger Games, especially since I bought it when it was first published. It’s not like I jumped on the buying the book bandwagon (Side-note: I HATE that word, because I don’t mind band-wagoners, writers, actors, musicians, they deserve fans no matter how they get them so jump on board for all I care, the more the merrier). I think what happened was, I bought the book and then let friends borrow it, and therefore never got around to reading the entire thing.

I don’t have regrets though. No, because I LOVED the movie, like O-M-G-Totally-Crushing-On-Peeta-Love. I loved it so much, I saw it Friday and then Sunday. Once with my friends again with my mom and aunt. My husband saw it twice too, which REALLY says something. The second time was the best, because I really drank in everything. Every look, every struggle, every key moment the cast worked hard to perfect. The music was stunning and the actors perfect.

Jennifer carried the movie like a champion. I laughed, cried, and hurt with them. Oh and I almost cried when they kept showing Gale. UGH. Man, Liam was good. They all were.

I know people said they made a lot of changes and some bad directional moves but from not reading the book I got to thoroughly enjoy the movie without constantly comparing the two. Like with Twilight (Disclaimer: HG AND T ARE 100% DIFFERENT, 100%, NOT EVEN ALIKE IN ANY WAY EXCEPT THEY ARE BOTH YA BOOKS!!!) I HATED the first movie. I mean, the rest are fantastic or anything, they are just good. I only see them now because I have to see what they do. But in my mind, they butchered the story. I didn’t get their attraction, it was directed poorly. I came out of the theater hating it. I didn’t want to take that chance with Hunger Games. I didn’t want to hate it. And I didn’t.

But now I HAVE to read the book, because my mom read Catching Fire and refuses to spoil it for me even though I begged her to because I like spoilers.

Final thoughts on Hunger Games? Amazing. Go see it but know it is intense and I would not recommend it for kids under thirteen. Take the rating seriously people, ten-year-olds really have no business seeing other kids being killed.

Oh, and Nerd Alert: my text message ringtone is totally the Mocking Jay whistle.

Ciao!!