Team Katniss

Unlike the first flick, this movie did not disappoint. While there were noticeable changes from the book version, I felt like the screenwriters did a good job making President Snow appear more human, and they created a more vulnerable character out of Katniss. I give this adaptation a thumbs up.

I saw the movie with several women from my church congregation last night. It has been a very long time (3 years I think?) since I'd seen a movie with anyone other that Tim or my family. The girls I went with made "Team Peeta" and "Team Gale" pins. I opted not to wear one because to be quite frank, it reminds me of Twilight, and this series is so much more than a love triangle. I didn't fall in love with Peeta or Gale while reading the book. If you've read the books, you know Peeta is a much better candidate for Katniss. He makes up for all that she lacks and he pushes her to be more than her stubborn self. He is my Tim (but that is another story entirely). Gale, however, could've also been a good choice for Katniss. He had so much potential, but I honestly feel that Collins let his character down a lot in the third book so I feel a bit unresolved with him. But like I said before, this series is so much more than three young lovers.

After watching the movie last night, I was reminded how disturbed I felt for weeks after Tim and I finished the series. I would think to myself, did I really spend hours upon hours reading about kids killing kids? The subject itself is rather unsettling. But as I've had time to let the books and movies settle into my bones, I now understand why Collins felt prompted to write what she did. I mean...I understood it before when I listened to her explain her reasoning behind the plot, but last night, I realized something bigger: kids kill kids everyday, and it gets televised and dissected until everyone is just plain mad at each other. There are so many angry people in this world, and it doesn't really matter if they fall into the rebel or follower category, what matters is that there is a lot of unresolved anger that turns into raging outbursts.

Just some thoughts as I continue to think over the film. It's really good. It's worth the money. One thing is for sure--I am Team Katniss.