The Hunger Games: A Perfect Example of How to Effectively Adapt a Book to Movie

Screenwriters, producers, directors, and actors take note, The Hunger Games is exactly how you execute a book to movie adaptation. Were scenes added, things removed, details change? Of course, but it was the exact right blend of those things that made The Hunger Games as a movie such a fantastic adaptation. This is really saying something when you go from inside the head of one character in the book to an outsider perspective in the movie. It's even more powerful when you do this in such a way that anyone including fans of the series and those unfamiliar can understand and fall in love with the story and the characters.

The world The Hunger Games exists in, was built and put to life on the screen in spectacular fashion. The premise and the stakes were clear from the instant the film began and the juxtaposition between The Capital and District 12 was evident right off the bat. It was abundantly clear that The Capital had it all and the districts had nothing.

The right pacing. The story moved and didn't have any extra fluff. They got in all the essentials, told the story and moved on to the next important piece of the puzzle. There were no extraneous scenes and nothing felt out of place. The flow was spot on.

The Additions. The added scenes with Seneca Crane and President Snow not only set the stage for the first movie but also the entire series. They were effective in showing the iron fist with which President Snow rules and controls the twelve districts. The scenes with Caesar Flickerman showed that The Hunger Games above all else is a sport and for the sole entertainment of others, not just a reminder of the past. The control room scenes illustrated that no matter what the tributes did, the gamemaker was still pulling the strings. Finally the scene between Seneca and Haymitch proved the importance of the ideology - if things don't go according to plan you fix it so it does, because if you don't the wildfire gets out of control. All groundwork set forth for the second installment Catching Fire.

Casting. I'll admit I had some reservations about some of the casting. However after seeing the movie, I 100% agree with every single casting decision made. The actors did an amazing job bringing their characters to life and I couldn't have imagined it better myself. In some cases such as Haymitch, I actually enjoyed the movie portrayal better than the book. And that is really saying something.

With that I say a huge thank you to every single person involved in bringing The Hunger Games to life. I've never been so impressed with a book to movie adaptation. It was exactly what I hoped for and you've made fans extremely happy. Thank you for proving that even though nothing can replace the imagination generated from a good book, movies representing the characters and worlds from books can be done right. The odds are certainly in your favor for future adaptations in the series!

Ender's Game The Movie

With movie news flying left and right about Ender's Game, I wanted to weigh in some thoughts. I will preface by saying Ender's Game is my absolute favorite book of all time, and I've been waiting for this movie since I picked up the book for the first time well over 10 years ago. Even then there were rumors of a movie, and they were looking at Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker) to play Ender, but nothing ever seemed to pan out. From what I understand, Card had issues with the numerous scripts that had been written over the years. I certainly can't argue with that mentality, as there are seemingly endless ways one could screw up Ender's Game on the big screen. Doing this fabulous book justice is a bit of a chore.

When I heard the news this year that once again that Ender's Game would be a movie, I was highly skeptical, as this rumor has come around many times before. Honestly, I'm not holding my breath for this, and wont 100% believe it until I see a trailer and then am sitting in the movie theater, but this current effort looks extremely promising.

Before I launch into confirmed and rumored actors for the movie, it has been stated on many sources and by Card himself, that the children will be older than in the book with Ender around age 10. As cool as the book is with Ender starting battle school at age 5, I have to agree with this decision. I think the age bump will work, and let's face it no five year old could honestly portray this character properly. And if producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, both known for the new star trek and fringe, are any indication, this film is headed on the right track.

So onto the actors,

Asa Butterfield - Confirmed to play Ender. I have no complaints about this kid, in fact I think he's about as perfect as you can get for Ender Wiggin. He has the look and he can act. He was amazing in Hugo (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, its a beautiful movie!). And he proven he can play slightly darker and mysterious in BBC's Merlin as a young Mordred. All around great choice!

Harrison Ford - Rumored to play Colonel Graff. I think Ford is an interesting choice for this role, but I have no doubt he can play it well. I actually see him a bit as a certain other mentor to Ender (more on that in a minute) but if he's cast as Col. Graff, I wont have any complaints. We all know this man has no trouble acting and has a large portfolio of roles to back him up!

Hailee Steinfeld - Rumored to play Petra Arkanian. Now this one I struggle a bit with. I admittedly have only seen clips here and there of her work, and she seems like a wonderful actress but I'm not sure if I am sold on her for Petra. She was originally who I would have picked to play Katniss in the Hunger Games, but I'm not sure she has that complexity that Petra carries in the book. I picture Petra with a slight fiery streak, someone more like Chloe Moretz possibly, that has proven the range of both soft and fiery. But I know Steinfeld can act and would do her best to portray Petra properly in the movie.

And onto the latest rumor (and this is a spoiler if you haven't read Ender's Game, so you've been warned!)


Ben Kinsley - Rumored to play the thought dead Mazer Rackham. Back to what I was talking about above, I originally thought Harrison Ford would be a better Mazer than Graff, but now hearing this news, I couldn't think of a more perfect person to be Mazer. Ben Kingsley would be great in this role, and certainly bring the right life to this important character. And again like Ford, has great experience as an actor.




So looking ahead, I think Ender's Game, despite many years of hope and fears surrounding a possible movie, is headed down the right general path to do this amazing book justice. The next few months will be telling as to how this project moves forward and if it will make it into production.

Of the uncast roles, Bean is the most important to get right. Personally I hope they find a young undiscovered to bring this role to life. His chemistry with Ender is key to the story, and I hope they find the right kid to do the job.

I look forward to more casting news and hope that this finally makes it to the big screen. I'm definitely getting excited about the Ender's Game movie and can't wait to watch it continue to develop!