Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The Hunger Games: Part One, Character Analysis
67 Plays13 days ago
📖✨ In this episode of Book Watch, we’re diving into the character analysis of The Hunger Games (2008) and its 2012 movie adaptation of the same name.
💡 In Part 1, we’ll explore:
✅ Character portrayals, casting choices
✅ Key Themes
Join host Sarah-Daye and her guest, J Scotty Sinclair as they break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether this cast does the book justice. 🎬📚
📌 Tell us your thoughts! Did you love or hate this adaptation? Let’s discuss in The Book Watch Lounge on Facebook 💙
🔗 Follow & Support:
📲 Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1NFeZYgh1j/
📺 Watch behind-the-scenes: http://patreon.com/BookWatchPodcast
🤳🏼Follow Book Watch on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bookwatchpodcast
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction of the Podcast and Guest
00:00:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the first episode of Book Watch. I am so excited to kick off this podcast with a friend of mine, J. Scottie Sinclair.
00:00:57
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Thank you so much for being here. Do you want to give a little introduction on kind of your history with The Hunger Games and podcasting?
00:01:05
Scotty
Well, sure. Well, first of all, I'd like to start by thanking you for having me on. It's a real pleasure to be here. As far as my familiarity with the Hunger Games go, i have you know told you this story off air, but for the benefit of the listeners, it holds a special place in my heart because it was kind of the first time in my life that I just watched the movie, you know apropos of nothing. I think one of my roommates at the time actually rented it at Redbox and brought it home. And it was just kind of the movie that we all sat around and watched together.
00:01:33
Scotty
i And I was riveted. I just ended up join enjoying it so much that I went out to my local library. i got the book. I read it in like a day. and Ended up
Sinclair's Podcasting Experience and Network Connection
00:01:42
Scotty
getting the next two books and read like all three within the span of a week.
00:01:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:01:46
Scotty
So ah definitely, definitely really enjoy the franchise and particularly that that first movie for the special place that it holds in my heart. But ah As far as podcasting goes, I've been podcasting for, kind of crazy to say this now, but the better part of five years now, a lot of that has been focused around the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.
00:02:06
Scotty
So covering a lot of geeky and fandom content in terms of like,
00:02:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:02:11
Scotty
the Marvel stuff. So their flagship shows the Marvel Cinematic Universe podcast. But for me specifically, we do a show called multiverse news that talks about all the latest, greatest news in, uh, movies and TVs, not just the content, but like the behind the scenes stuff as well.
00:02:26
Scotty
Uh, so that's, that's one of my passions there. And then, uh, Animation deliberation, I've got a a vested interest in animation. I like to draw cartoons and stuff like that. Always loved cartoons growing up. That podcast, the we don't publish with as much regularity as we used to, but me and who I'm sure will be a friend of this show eventually, Zuhair, we get together whenever we can to kibitz and talk about what's going on in our our favorite animated series.
00:02:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Thank you.
00:02:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, Zoo has been trying to convince me to read the Kiyoshi books. And so I'm sure that we will touch base on the Avatar universe at some point.
00:02:54
Scotty
Oh, yes.
00:03:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I do, ah you shouted out the Stranded Panda Network. That is how you and I actually met in the first place. So listeners, definitely go check out the Stranded Panda podcast.
00:03:05
Scotty
Yeah.
00:03:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
It is a great group of podcasts over there and join the Facebook group. If you are into all things nerdy, it's a great place to be.
Choosing The Hunger Games for Episode One
00:03:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And I wanted to touch base on my so history with The Hunger Games and why it's my selection for my first episode of Bookwatch.
00:03:18
Scotty
Definitely.
00:03:23
Scotty
Please. Yeah. I'd love to hear it.
00:03:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And that is because I grew up on Harry Potter and always went to the book releases and then... I kind of fell off reading after I graduated high school and was in college.
00:03:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then the Hunger Games book came out. I think it was the movie had been announced. And so I was reading the book and it was the first book since Harry Potter that really grasped me and I was staying up way past my bedtime.
00:03:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
to keep on reading.
00:03:56
Scotty
Sure.
00:03:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I was unfortunately not able to read the next two books because they were not out yet. But as soon as they were released, I did. I got them again, stayed up way too late reading them.
00:04:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And additionally, this is one of my favorite adaptations. I think that the movie did a very great job adapting this book. So I'm excited to dive into that conversation with you.
00:04:19
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:04:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But before we do that, let's give our listeners a look at – let's introduce the listeners to this book and this film.
Publication and Adaptation Details of The Hunger Games
00:04:27
Scotty
Sure.
00:04:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
The book was written by Suzanne Collins. It came out in 2008.
00:04:33
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:04:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And it was a New York Times bestseller for over 100 and –
00:04:38
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:04:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Suzanne became the sixth author to become the Kindle Million Club, which happened in 2012. So congrats to her. That's a really great title for her.
00:04:51
Scotty
yeah
00:04:53
Sarah-Daye McDougall
The film, the first film came out in 2012. It was directed by Gary Ross, and it was also adapted by Gary, Suzanne, and Billy Ray.
00:05:03
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:05:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then the audiobook, I like to tell listeners who voice the audiobook because I am an audiobook listener.
00:05:10
Scotty
Okay.
00:05:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Carolyn McCormick was the original audiobook narrator. And then Tatiana Maslany has done a version.
00:05:16
Scotty
Ooh.
00:05:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, it is fabulous. Both narrators did a phenomenal job. But Tatiana, if you haven't seen Orphan Black, can really nail lots of different voices and characters.
00:05:28
Scotty
Sure, sure.
00:05:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So definitely give it a listen.
00:05:31
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:05:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Do you remember and you you kind of came into the fandom a little late because all three books had already been published and the first movie had come out. Do you remember any of the cultural impact of this story and how it was received?
00:05:41
Scotty
Yes.
00:05:46
Scotty
I recall the trailer. I want to say I saw the trailer when I went to go see the Avengers in 2012. And I remember thinking like, that looks cool, but I didn't have the familiarity with it at that point in time. So um that was a point in my life. And it's worth mentioning, I think I'm a couple years older than you. So while you were in college, I was kind of like fresh out of those years in my really early adulthood.
00:06:07
Scotty
So I wasn't as like connected to the the zeitgeist in terms of like what might be popular with like you know younger people, I was kind of doing my own thing and kind of doing a lot of partying and stuff like that.
00:06:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:06:18
Scotty
So I wasn't super, yeah, I wasn't super clued in.
00:06:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
As we all do at that age.
00:06:22
Scotty
But i'm I'm not sure if I underpinned this enough when I did my introduction.
Cultural Impact and Comparisons to Other Media
00:06:26
Scotty
But what is really unique about this book for me is that it was actually the first time that an adaptation was so good that I went to seek out the book. like Previously with like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, like you mentioned, I always made a point, and even with Dune more recently, I always made ah it a point to make sure I got those books read before the movie came out.
00:06:45
Scotty
But like I said, I did not really know all that much about this one outside of the trailer. I wasn't even the one to pick up the movie. It was my roommate. But... once it was on the screen, I was just so taken with it. Like I instantly did a lot of research and ended up like learning about some of the comparisons to like stuff like battle Royale.
00:07:03
Scotty
And I ended up going and watching that movie as well, which, you know, I think the the comparisons to that are kind of surface level just to give listeners a clue into that.
00:07:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah
00:07:11
Scotty
It is a similar story, but it takes place in Japan kind of similarly pits an entire like group of classmates together. And it's kind of like the last one standing wins, but yeah, Apart from that, those those are the only real similarities that takes place in present day and everything like that. So I kind of found out after the fact, like what ah what an impact it it had. And once I read all the books, I kind of found out online all of like the fervor and ranting and raving that was taking place. I was a little late to the party.
00:07:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But that's
Series Overview and Collins' Writing Approach
00:07:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
okay. You're here now.
00:07:40
Scotty
Yes, yes.
00:07:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I'm sure listeners are aware, but the original trilogy is The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.
00:07:49
Scotty
yeah here
00:07:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mockingjay was split into two films. And then we have one prequel – Well, at the time of this recording, we have one prequel. By the time this airs, we will have two. The first prequel is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, ah which has also already been a film.
00:08:00
Scotty
yeah
00:08:06
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then we are getting The Sunrise on the Reaping. And the film will be coming out in November 2026, if i am not mistaken. um so the
00:08:16
Scotty
okay
00:08:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
it lives on. I mean, it's still coming.
00:08:18
Scotty
Yes, it does.
00:08:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
It's still coming out with books and ah films. And i do want to mention, i want to give Suzanne Collins credit because she has said that she will not, she's not just pumping out books to pump them out for money.
00:08:33
Scotty
Hmm.
00:08:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
She was only writing books when there was a story to tell.
00:08:36
Scotty
um Okay.
00:08:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I do think it's funny that there's already a film for sunrise on the reaping, but I am not complaining because It gives me something to talk about on the podcast.
00:08:47
Scotty
Yeah, and don't quote me on this, but I think I remember reading somewhere, Suzanne Collins, not only is she and an author, but she's also a television writer. so i And she had written a trilogy of books before The Hunger Games.
00:08:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hmm.
00:08:58
Scotty
So I think she went into The Hunger Games with kind of like the hope that it would be quickly...
00:08:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:09:03
Scotty
adapted with her connections. And I actually think she, you know, not to get too ah far ahead here, but I think she wrote it in a way that made it, it lent itself to adaptation. She provides descriptions, but she never goes like overboard.
00:09:15
Scotty
Like she kind of leaves a lot to the imagination, which I thought really lent itself to an adaptation.
00:09:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
Film Adaptation and Thematic Exploration
00:09:32
Scotty
Sure.
00:09:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
what I liked most about this adaptation is Sometimes directors cut or screen, the screenwrites cut things that shouldn't have been cut and add things that shouldn't have been added.
00:09:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I don't think that happens a lot here in this movie.
00:09:49
Scotty
Yeah.
00:09:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I think what was cut was fine for the medium.
00:09:52
Scotty
Yeah.
00:09:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And they didn't kind of get lost in the story. They, they, the points that needed to be made were made. And characters that were cut didn't really add that much to the book.
00:10:01
Scotty
Yeah.
00:10:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Of course, The book is always going to be more in depth because it is a book and you get more into their heads because you can.
00:10:11
Scotty
Sure.
00:10:13
Scotty
Absolutely.
00:10:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But I really do think the adaptation was was one of the best that I've seen.
00:10:20
Scotty
Yeah, I agree. I think all of the pivotal scenes are translated. There were a couple of like side characters that I missed a little bit. There were a couple of asides and anecdotes. Like it would have been nice to see those translated to screen via flashback or something like that.
00:10:34
Scotty
But I really do agree with you.
00:10:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:10:35
Scotty
I think in terms of like, what is essential to take from the book and get on on the screen to tell this story. I think they did that. And then even in with some of the ways they, the choices that where they, they added stuff or maybe change things rather than just omitting.
00:10:49
Scotty
I do think they were strong choices as well. And they work for the screen. And I, to your point, I think that's what makes it such a strong adaptation. And like a lot of times, you know, the general consensus is the book is always better. And I, I don't think you hear that as much about this one. I think This one is is one of like, yeah, sure. You get to spend more time with certain characters and really get in their head in the book. But by and large, I think this is one of the best received adaptations out there.
00:11:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. And i think the actors really do a good job of portraying the thoughts that we get from the book in their facial expressions a lot of times throughout the film.
00:11:24
Scotty
Yeah.
00:11:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And so I think that we were not missing that. Like we're still getting that in the film, even though we're not hearing those thoughts played out. I think we're still getting that emotion from them.
00:11:36
Scotty
I agree. I agree. Yeah. Um, Jennifer Lawrence, uh, there's ah a few of her like line deliveries. I thought like she really paid attention to the way it was described in the book. Cause like, I think when she cries out prim that first time at the reaping, the way her like voice, like cracks and breaks, I'm like, that is exactly how it's described in the book and everything Katniss was experiencing that moment. I'm, I'm believing in this moment right now.
00:11:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, yeah, definitely. I mean, this this really shot her to stardom, this series, so, and then deservedly so.
00:12:04
Scotty
Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes,
00:12:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, so let's talk a little bit about the key themes and how, what the key themes from the book and how they made it to the film.
00:12:11
Scotty
Sure.
00:12:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And do you think that the film captured the essence of what the book is trying to tell?
00:12:21
Scotty
I'll start. i guess let's start with the themes. Yes. um
00:12:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure. Sure.
00:12:25
Scotty
severe poverty, starvation, ah oppression, the effects of war, ah hope, self-sacrifice, government control, personal independence, and all of it is wrapped in this biting and incisive satire of reality television, reality TV series.
00:12:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:12:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
hu
00:12:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:12:43
Scotty
So in that sense, what's that?
00:12:44
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And the ethics.
00:12:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
The ethics of reality television.
00:12:49
Scotty
Absolutely, absolutely. So just kind of listing off all of those.
Visual Storytelling and Character Portrayals
00:12:53
Scotty
i think they do a pretty good job of getting all of those themes across maybe some of the aspects of like the severe poverty and starvation if we could have spent a little bit more time in District 11 and like, you know, seeing the difference between the seam and the town and and the hob maybe we got a we could have gotten a little bit more of that but You know, they they they have a lot of story to tell in a limited amount of time, and it is a two hour and 20 minute movie, but I think they packed a lot of it in there effectively.
00:13:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:13:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. And i I do think that they, I agree. i would have liked to spend a little bit more time in 12, but I think visuals the the visuals and the music and what they did show does get that point of cross, especially with the contrast when Katniss and Peta are entering the train for the first time and they're just looking around at all the nice furniture in the train.
00:13:26
Scotty
Oh, I said 11. I'm sorry, 12. 12.
00:13:44
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then we get to the Capitol and,
00:13:44
Scotty
Yeah.
00:13:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I was watching the film today and I was like, man, those chairs are wild. And they're this green wicker-esque chair. And so the contrast, even in the coloring of the seam versus the Capitol, really gets across the difference in ah financial stability.
00:14:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:14:04
Scotty
Yeah, yeah. And again, let me know if I'm getting too far ahead of myself here. But I, I do think it gets the themes across effectively. But um one of the things I was kind of like struck with watching the movie this time around is I think the
00:14:20
Scotty
I don't know. I'm kind of I'm going back and forth here because I'm thinking of two specific characters. I'm thinking of Effie and I'm thinking of Senna. And I think the book does a better job of being a little more apologetic to Effie and giving her some redeemability where the movie doesn't really go there at all.
00:14:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
her
00:14:37
Scotty
I don't think. at
00:14:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I don't think this one does but um if you come back for the other sequels I think we'll have a really good conversation about Effie and the changes they made to her character in the film and I like what they did to her character in the film and I do think they make her
00:14:41
Scotty
Okay. Sure.
00:14:45
Scotty
Sure.
00:14:47
Scotty
Okay.
00:14:50
Scotty
Okay.
00:14:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
more apologetic in and and more understanding and more of a nuanced character in the films than she is in the books.
00:15:01
Scotty
Okay.
00:15:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:15:02
Scotty
okay
00:15:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
When I, I just, when I reread this for the podcast, I couldn't stop and I read the whole trilogy and I hadn't read the trilogy in a while, but of course I've seen the films multiple times and I was shocked at her character, but I won't get too ahead of ourselves yet.
00:15:21
Scotty
Right, right. And
Casting Choices and Actor Performances
00:15:22
Scotty
then just to kind of, you know, the other character I'm thinking of is Senna. And I think kind of like oppositely, I think the book did a better job of giving some of more of the nuance there and why the relationship um and why he was so endeared to Katniss the way he was.
00:15:38
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, I agree. I do think that I would have liked to see a little bit more of their relationship in the film.
00:15:42
Scotty
Yeah.
00:15:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But speaking of characters, let's dive into um are key characters and who played them in the film.
00:15:46
Scotty
Sure.
00:15:48
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:15:50
Scotty
Sure.
00:15:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Of course, Katniss Everdeen is ah first up, played by the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence.
00:15:56
Scotty
Mm hmm. J law herself.
00:15:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. What do you think of, I mean, I guess we've already really talked about her performance. We we think she really nailed it, but you have anything else to add?
00:16:07
Scotty
No, I really do think that she, like we said, she nailed it.
00:16:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
but
00:16:10
Scotty
She does um everything. She is a fierce and a fighter, but you also get those tender moments and the vulnerability. She does a really good job. And I think, you know, all things considered, like thinking about the novel, we get to spend so much time in her head, like,
00:16:27
Scotty
in the movie, we I don't think we get all that much dialogue from her. So like you said, it really is like so much of it is just from her facial expressions and it's such a physical performance.
00:16:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:16:35
Scotty
And I think they really chose the the perfect person to to do all of that.
00:16:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:16:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, i agree. i agree. um So Peta Malark, Josh Hutcherson plays Peta. Thoughts on Josh? Yeah.
00:16:48
Scotty
He's a really talented actor. on the second viewing, he still works for me. And I do think he works for PETA, but I think he may, oh I'll have to see how I feel like with the subsequent movies and stuff like that. But I did find myself um thinking he was a little bit miscast in this one, just because like, even though I had seen the movie and read the book, when I was rereading the book, I couldn't help but just have like my own interpretations based on Suzanne's ah descriptions. And while Josh Hutcherson is stocky,
00:17:17
Scotty
I thought, um, I just imagined him a little bit bigger, like more physically intimidating compared to Katniss. And I think, you know, Kat Jennifer Lawrence is just a much taller person than Josh Hutcherson.
00:17:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:17:28
Scotty
So he, he just looks a little diminutive around her. But, uh, other than that, no, he does, he hits all the emotional beats, um, Not from his performance per se.
00:17:38
Scotty
I thought the romance worked a little bit better in the book than it did on screen, but that's just because of like the economy of the screen time. They didn't really have as much time to devote to that, but ah he works.
00:17:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Sure.
00:17:48
Scotty
He works for me.
00:17:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I think he works fine, but I do agree. I think he could have been better cast. I don't fault Josh Hutchinson in his acting at all. He's a great actor. I've seen him in a lot of other stuff.
00:18:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I do think that he acts well in this film, but I agree with you.
00:18:00
Scotty
Sure.
00:18:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Look wise, I, I, everything that you said, I agree with. I just don't think he really nails the PETA look.
00:18:10
Scotty
Yeah, and if I'm not mistaken, like both of the main characters, there i call it their eye colors are kind of swapped. Like in the book, we hear that ah she's supposed to have gray eyes and he's supposed to have blue eyes.
00:18:17
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Ah,
00:18:20
Scotty
And that's kind of, he has brown eyes and she has blue eyes. And the switch, minor gripes, but you know.
00:18:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
right minor right um okay so gail hawthorne is next played by liam hemsworth um i just have to say i have a biased against liam because of miley cyrus um i am so yes and i'm so team miley so seeing liam as gail and i mean
00:18:38
Scotty
Do you?
00:18:40
Scotty
Oh, right. Okay.
00:18:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
You're not, well, he's an interesting character to love or hate anyway. So I guess it works for me, but it is it is rather hard to see him as Gail.
00:19:00
Scotty
I agree. um when i When I watched it back in 2012, I didn't have a problem with it at all. And he was one of those performers that he never really stood out super, super well to me, but I never really had an issue with him. And it was like in subsequent years, I started to like see people online kind of like ragging on some of his performances.
00:19:18
Scotty
And, you know I think I may have had some of that like in the back of my head as I was watching this time around, but I could not help but notice he is he's Australian. His American accent is the exact same American accent his brother does.
00:19:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, right.
00:19:30
Scotty
Like, it's like, all right. Okay. It's a choice.
00:19:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, I'm sure they have the same, uh, uh, I'm sure they have the same voice coach.
00:19:37
Scotty
Vocal coach or, yeah.
00:19:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:19:39
Scotty
Yeah.
00:19:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay. So we'll leave Gail alone. Next up.
00:19:43
Scotty
Okay.
00:19:43
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hey Mitch Abernathy, Woody Harrelson. and Tell me your thoughts.
00:19:46
Scotty
Yes. I thought he was perfect. I thought he was pitch perfect. He nailed the gruffness. um They kind of dance around the alka alcoholism in this one, but you get the sense that he's certainly shouldering a burden in terms of like survivor's guilt and having to build up a way to numbing himself to seeing so many of these kids come through the system and and lose their lives so quickly.
00:20:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:20:10
Scotty
The wig, i think they could have gone without the wig.
00:20:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:20:12
Scotty
Like, I don't remember any strong descriptions about his hair from the book. So... The the wig was like a little distracting in the first scene, but I got over it pretty quickly.
00:20:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. And I do like the hair being shaggy like it is, but I agree.
00:20:26
Scotty
Okay.
00:20:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
The wig on this, i the the rewatch today, I noticed that and I was like, that's definitely a wig, isn't it? So um yes, but I do agree. i think, I mean, Woody, again, the cast is a great cast all all around. um So they really did a great job getting some firehouse actors in here. But I think he really does nail the Hamish character.
00:20:48
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and and I'm, Very, very excited for his story coming up.
00:20:52
Scotty
Oh, yeah.
00:20:53
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Okay, Effie. we We mentioned her a little bit, but let's get into Elizabeth Banks' purse trail of Effie.
00:21:02
Scotty
Yes. I will admit Elizabeth Banks is one of my favorite performers. I may have a little bit of a screen crush on her. um
00:21:09
Sarah-Daye McDougall
How can you not?
00:21:09
Scotty
I feel like she, yeah, exactly. ah She does a good job. I feel like she's lost under the makeup a little bit and the accent. And like, I noticed in the book, like they describe the capital accent in such detail.
00:21:24
Scotty
Like I was actually almost imagining more of like a Valley girl accent based on the way they describe it in the book.
00:21:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:21:29
Scotty
Like they talk about the up talk and ending everything in a question, but um she decides to take on more of like a posh, British kind of affectation.
00:21:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
hurry
00:21:37
Scotty
And um I think it's kind of limited to her and some of the ah people on like the beauty team. But apart from that, you don't really hear the accent anywhere else. President Snow doesn't have it. um I don't think, you know, any of the other game makers or anything like that have it. So i But that's okay.
00:21:54
Scotty
I think it would be a little overbearing if we were hearing that accent all the time. But ah she's basically a cartoon and she she does it well. i Like i kind of alluded to, I think the book gives her a little bit more, ah you start to see some of the conflicts that she's having or she's warming up to like actually seeing these tributes as people and starts to voice some of those things.
00:22:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:22:15
Scotty
And you don't really get any of that in the movie, but that's okay.
00:22:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, I think you do get a little bit of facial expressions from her caring about these two.
00:22:25
Scotty
Okay.
00:22:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um It's very, very subtle.
00:22:27
Scotty
Sure. okay
00:22:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So I'd like you to rewatch it and see if you can see that on another watch.
00:22:32
Scotty
Okay.
00:22:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Because I do think there's a little, there's some looks every once in a while, she'll give a little look and I and i can see that being her starting to care for Katniss and Peeta.
00:22:44
Scotty
Okay. Okay. I will rewatch and keep an eye out for the subtle facial expressions.
00:22:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And ah you mentioned that Effie was more of a cartoonish character. So I want to jump down. um He's last on my list, but very much an animated character. And that is Cesar Flickerman, played by none other than Stanley Tucci.
00:23:02
Scotty
Oh, yeah.
00:23:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um another very animated another Another very animated character, but i think really nails that character.
00:23:05
Scotty
The Tooch.
00:23:13
Scotty
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
Supporting Characters and Storytelling Tools
00:23:14
Scotty
he's perfect. He is pitch perfect. He does the presenter ah dancing on his toes, taking these attributes that may be nervous or misspeaking, and he's able to spin that into something wildly entertaining. And he's just so gleeful about the whole thing. And I know we're not here to talk about any of the prequels or anything like that, but I was really happy when I saw that they cast Jason Schwartzman as the younger version, because i I'm really...
00:23:41
Scotty
I shouldn't be as particular about it, but I get kind of hung up when casting doesn't look alike. So when they do it, when they nail it, I really appreciate it.
00:23:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:23:49
Scotty
And that's ah an example of nailing it.
00:23:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Agreed. Yes. I i also really ah dislike when the younger version doesn't match the older version.
00:23:52
Scotty
Yeah.
00:23:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
go Yes. Yes.
00:24:02
Scotty
Well, just, and let me know if I'm getting ahead of myself here again, but um one of my favorite things about like the film adaptation is some of the ways they used his character.
00:24:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
go ahead
00:24:11
Scotty
In terms of like being able to provide exposition and commentary, like a lot of that came from Katniss in the book, but it was helpful to have somebody doing that for us as viewers.
00:24:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes
00:24:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes Exactly.
00:24:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Particularly um the first thing that came to mind when you mentioned that was the tracker jacker and explaining what the tracker jackers are.
00:24:27
Scotty
Oh yes, exactly.
00:24:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:24:30
Scotty
Yeah.
00:24:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So, and I think you need that.
00:24:30
Scotty
Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:31
Sarah-Daye McDougall
You need to be able to explain and that's the perfect opportunity to use it. I mean, it is a reality TV show. That's what they would do.
00:24:38
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:24:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I do like, i again yeah, I know we're, we are getting to get a little ahead of ourselves, but the flash Not flashbacks, but going back and forth between Katniss in the arena and then everybody watching it as a reality show and getting that look into what's happening on the other side while she's in the arena and getting that exposition, like you said.
00:24:58
Scotty
Right.
00:25:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I think they did a really good job of they did a really good job of making this book a movie. And I think this is why it's one of my favorite adaptations.
00:25:06
Scotty
Agreed.
00:25:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. it's
00:25:08
Scotty
Agreed. agreed
00:25:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um President Snow next played by Donald Sutherland um really really appreciated his take on President Snow.
00:25:20
Scotty
Yeah, this is one of those instances where I kind of wish I had read the subsequent books to get more of the Snow character because that was one of the things that surprised me when read the book. he He has a presence, an alluming presence, but he's really not given that much. Like he has a speech or two and he's like seen in the crowd and he gives um their them their crowns at the end where he gives like a glaring, threatening look. But apart from that, we really don't get...
00:25:45
Scotty
all that much from snow. He's kind of like the emperor in star Wars.
00:25:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ha
00:25:48
Scotty
Like you hear about him, but he's not the big villain until later on.
00:25:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. And let me scroll back up in my notes.
00:25:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I don't have the publications of the second two of the trilogy, um but I'm glad they gave him more. screen time in the film because he does become such a bigger presence in the books and he you know when the rebellion starts and everything and it's katniss versus snow um it would be for the film it would be kind of odd for him not to have such a big presence in the film and then be the big bad of the second two if we didn't get um more of him
00:26:05
Scotty
Oh yeah.
00:26:20
Scotty
and
00:26:25
Scotty
yeah but i think donald sutherland does a great job with with you know limited material there he's got a few exchanges with a certain character that i i won't reveal at this point in time but uh in those exchanges he's able to you know ah deliver the menace and the threat and it's like he's saying things with a smile but you understand his intention
00:26:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:26:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, and i I think particularly the scene with him and Seneca in the garden or whatever, and like Seneca, you can almost feel the tension and that gulp of fear that he has.
00:26:49
Scotty
Yeah, yes, yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:26:57
Scotty
Mm-hmm.
00:26:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Like, my life is on the line now.
00:27:00
Scotty
Yep.
00:27:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay, switching gears here, going from The Menace to Sweet Innocent Rue, played by Amanda Stenberg.
00:27:08
Scotty
Oh, I think it's a mantel.
00:27:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Amandala. Okay, thank you for correcting me.
00:27:11
Scotty
Yes. Yeah. No problem.
00:27:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Amandala Stenberg. Thoughts on her portrayal of Rue.
00:27:18
Scotty
I feel like I'm a broken record here, but she she nails it. Again, it's one of these characters that in the book, ah we're given a brief description, but so much of the character is brought to life through her interaction yeah excuse me interactions with Katniss. And yeah, I thought um even though the book does a better job of like hanging lampshade on it, the similarity between Rue and Prim, I think Amandla Stenberg taps into that perfectly.
00:27:47
Scotty
She instantly feels like a little sister that we all want to be so protective of. And it is heartbreaking when she, she meets her fate.
00:27:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:27:54
Scotty
It hit me in the book and it hit me on screen.
00:27:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I know. Don't make me cry.
00:27:59
Scotty
Sorry.
00:28:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I'm sure we will in episode two.
Final Thoughts on Adaptation Success
00:28:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um Yes, I think ah it's she really and I mean, the yeah, the broken record. Everybody really nails their parts, um even if they're not the best cast the acting is just so so good throughout the whole film and hers in particular really gut punch um when it needs to be in that moment um so speaking of rue rue's character is the you know um
00:28:19
Scotty
Yeah.
00:28:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Katniss's link back home because it reminds her of her sister Prim. So Primrose Everdeen played by Willow Shields. I actually think this might be the most miscast.
00:28:42
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Not miscast, but I don't think Prim's character hits as hard for me in the film as she does in the book.
00:28:43
Scotty
Huh.
00:28:50
Scotty
Okay. i don't I don't feel as strongly about that. And again, i doing that without the knowledge of like future installments, like I'm kind of fuzzy on them. But ah in terms of like ah the purpose that she served in this in this movie, I actually thought it was pretty effective because, ah and again, a lot of it is kind of limiting limited to very emotional reactions. But when she kind of screams out no um for her sister both times when she's being taken away at the reaping, as well as when they get the three minutes to say goodbye to her. like
00:29:20
Scotty
Those emotional screams, no like they did strike a chord with me. They hit me in in the heartstrings, and i like I really felt that.
00:29:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay.
00:29:26
Scotty
So I thought it was a good performance, but um yeah, it's I can see where you're coming from too. There's not a lot there. Yeah.
00:29:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
That's true. maybe Maybe that's just what it is. And maybe I am pulling from the second to ah books and three films but I'll have to I'll give it another try and it was she did do a good job it it wasn't emotional at the reaping you are right there um last up is Cinna played by Lenny Kravitz
00:29:55
Scotty
Yes. um i
00:29:57
Sarah-Daye McDougall
which was a shocking casting for me back in the day
00:30:00
Scotty
Was it?
00:30:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
mean, not him as Cinna, but I didn't know that he was it an actor. You know, I know Lenny from um his music.
00:30:08
Scotty
Right. Yeah.
00:30:12
Scotty
Sure.
00:30:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And so, but all of that to say, as as shocking as it was, I loved him as Cinna.
00:30:18
Scotty
Yes, yes, I did too. And um thinking back on my comments earlier on when I kind of forecasted some of my feelings about you know the the book version versus the movie version, I still maintain that, but I'm right there with you.
00:30:31
Scotty
I think in a very short amount of time and very limited screen time, Lenny Kravitz does. He delivers that um that warmth and that admiration of Katniss.
00:30:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:30:42
Scotty
And I don't think they get as many exchanges. um to relate what he's doing for her and how he's basically empowering her through his his efforts.
00:30:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ha
00:30:52
Scotty
But um I do think that comes across through um just his his screen presence and the interactions that he does have with her.
00:31:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Yeah, absolutely. um So that's it. Unless there's anybody else you would like to point out actor wise, um that is the list that I have written down.
00:31:12
Scotty
I'll just give a quick shout out to Jack Quaid. He pops up in so many things these days.
00:31:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, of course.
00:31:16
Scotty
It was funny to see a younger version of him. I forgot that he was in this thing.
00:31:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, absolutely. Yes. And ah listeners that may not know, ah Jack Quaid is District 2, the male tribute from District 2, and he is one of the main characters of the Amazon show, The Boys.
00:31:20
Scotty
Yeah.
00:31:34
Scotty
Mm hmm.
00:31:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So let's wrap up the conversation. if there's anything else you'd like to say, you can do that now. But the main question to wrap up is our initial impressions of the film. Why was it chosen? Why was this book chosen to be an adaptation?
00:31:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And do we think I've already answered this? Do we think that this was a good adaptation?
00:31:55
Scotty
Yeah, in terms of why it was selected for adaptation, I think in combination with what I mentioned earlier, I think Suzanne Collins was very intentional ah with the way she wrote this and some of her connections. I also think you got to look at the timing. It was kind of perfect timing.
00:32:09
Scotty
Harry Potter, we mentioned as an influence, this was happening right around the same time that Twilight was being such a massive success.
00:32:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:32:16
Scotty
so I think it was kind of, ah it was built to kind of be successful. And it kind of came right at the perfect time. And I think you can look to like some other adaptations that like fit in the same genre in terms of being like young adult dystopia.
00:32:29
Scotty
The Maze Runner comes to mind, Divergent comes to mind.
00:32:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm. Divergent.
00:32:32
Scotty
And I would argue like neither one of those are quite as successful as as this trilogy.
00:32:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yep.
00:32:36
Scotty
So they really did kind of sneak in
00:32:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well, it's divergent Divergent didn't even finish the films.
00:32:40
Scotty
Oh, I know.
00:32:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:32:40
Scotty
I know. Yeah. think They kind of sputtered out there towards the end.
00:32:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:32:44
Scotty
But yeah, I mean, that just kind of proves my point, though.
00:32:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly.
00:32:46
Scotty
They kind of, the Hunger Games snuck in at the perfect time and struck while the iron was hot.
00:32:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:32:50
Scotty
And they kind of like capitalized. Like when I think young adult dystopia, I kind of think Hunger Games. Like they're synonymous.
00:32:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly. yes
00:32:57
Scotty
Yeah.
00:32:58
Scotty
Yeah.
00:32:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, exactly.
00:32:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:33:00
Scotty
Yeah.
00:33:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I can't argue with anything that you said.
00:33:02
Scotty
um
00:33:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Any other final thoughts?
Episode Conclusion and Teasers for Next Episode
00:33:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
any other final thoughts
00:33:06
Scotty
No, no. if I guess I would just say if for some reason you're listening to this and i have not watched the movie, go watch the movie. It's a great movie.
00:33:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah It really is. Yes. um i I would assume most of my listeners are here to compare in the contrast the books and the films, but some might just have seen one or read one.
00:33:20
Scotty
Sure.
00:33:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So um this is definitely one that deserves both a read and a watch.
00:33:30
Scotty
Oh, yeah. Agreed.
00:33:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay, well, Jay Scottie, thank you so much for watching The Hunger Games and reading The Hunger Games with me. um Next week, we are going to be diving into more of the key plot points, and I'm very excited to do that.
00:33:45
Scotty
Thank you. Looking forward to it.
00:33:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Is there anything you would like to share? I know you said some of your podcasts up front, but would you like to say those again here at the end?
00:33:54
Scotty
Sure. You can check out multiverse news, wherever you get your podcast. We publish every Wednesday morning, though. That's actually may change with daredevil ah born again, releasing. We may have to change our release date a couple of times, but we were there every week. So look forward to that.
00:34:09
Scotty
And then animation deliberation, wherever you get your podcast as well.
00:34:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
All right. Well, thank you very much. Listeners, we'll see you next week.