I have to confess, it worries me a bit. I adore these books (well, the first two anyway; I thought Mockingjay lacked the same energy that made The Hunger Games and Catching Fire so compelling but that's by the by), and I was very excited to hear about the films.
Then I saw Jennifer Lawrence had been cast as Katniss and was a bit worried because... well, she just doesn't look like Katniss as I envision her. But I've heard great things about her as an actress, and of course it's silly to expect your vision of a character to be the vision, so I was still optimistic. Then I saw a picture of her in costume:
She looks amazing, but does she look like she lives in the world of Panem? I'm undecided. She looks pretty healthy and clean for a kid in District 12. She looks fierce and capable, but does she look like a product of a society that forces children to fight to the death? I'm undecided on that.
The trailer hasn't helped convince me either way. I can see this film being either awesome or awful, no middle ground. The casting is great (Donald Sutherland as Snow is geniuse!), but what if the producers just want another Twilight? They might amp up the romance subplot (which, whilst important, was not the reason I loved the books personally) and downplay the political and social machinations that made the books so fascinating to me. It seems like every YA book with a hint of paranormal or dystopian about it is being optioned for film rights at the moment, and there's a danger that a lot of bland films will be churned out in the wake of the Twilight phenomenon. I'd hate to see The Hunger Games fall into this trap.
Of course I will go and see it. I'm still holding out hope it will be awesome, despite my reservations that everything looks too slick and polished to be believable as the world Collins created. But I love that she's been so involved - that makes me believe my fears will be set to rest when the film is released.
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