What’s better a book or a movie? As a class we read the third book of the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins and then watched the movie. Katniss has returned home after surviving the games, but she has returned to the ashes of District 12. She now lives in District 13 with the few people that Gale saved from the bombing, but Peeta is a hostage in the capitol. Despite all these recent events Katniss must become the Mockingjay of the rebellion, and lead them to victory. After watching the movie I think that the book was a lot better.
The book started in District 12 where Katniss would see her home for the first time since her second games, but the movie started in District 13. Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss, was in one of her hiding spots in 13 doing an exercise her doctor told her to do, so that she could hold onto reality. I think Jennifer Lawrence playing the role of Katniss was a good idea, because she is athletic and was determined to learn how to shoot a bow correctly. Effie Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks, hardly played a role in Mockingjay except for a show of her face, but in Mockingjay: Part 1 she was seen more often. A character that I thought would look different is Boggs. Even though the book didn’t say, I thought Boggs was going to be white and muscular, but in the movie he was played by Mahershala Ali who was dark and skinny. Although, I do think he did a good job acting as Boggs, but he wasn’t in the movie as much as I thought he was in the book. In the book Boggs was a semi big role, especially when he was leading the star squad to the capitol. In the book Katniss’s prep team came into the story in a very R rated way, but in the movie if they did come in, I don’t really remember. I guess it was a good thing on the director’s part, because by leaving out that scene it probably helped the movie to be more appropriate for a bigger and younger crowd.
Gary Ross directed the first movie of the Hunger Games, but Francis Lawrence directed the last two movies that came out. I couldn’t really tell that the director changed from the first movie to the next, so I guess Francis did a good job of the continuation. The book was written more in the view of Katniss where as I think some parts of the movie were written from other character’s points of views. I don’t want to give away too much of the ending of the movie, but by the end you get to see that Katniss and Peeta are semi-ok and safe from the capitol. If I were the director I think I would’ve ended the movie where Katniss and Peeta got to see each other for the first time to end it happy, or if I wanted to create worry I would’ve ended it where the action happened in the same scene. In the movie theater our class tried to guess where it would end, and I think we all guessed the same place to end. The director did a good job though, because I think all of us wanted to watch Mockingjay: Part 2 right then and there. I have never seen a movie written exactly the way a book was. The only reason I can think of why a director would alter the events is to keep the movie shorter, and maybe more action packed.
I think that the book was better, because it had more details and started the way the last movie ended. I’m not sure if that’s how the book ended, but it continued from the last movie. However the movie started in District 13, but the last movie ended in a hovercraft. I also think since the book is what I already had imagined out in my head the movie changed how I had originally thought it out. Also if you read the book you get the whole story where as if you watch the movie you get half the story with less detail. If you are looking into Mockingjay I suggest that you just read the book, just watch the movie, or watch the movie then read the book. Just don’t read the book then watch the movie, because in my opinion your brain would get really confused. Anyways it’s really your choice of what you want to do. Read the book or watch the movie and decide what you think is best, a book or a movie?