Hunger Games - The Movie

I love to see movies on opening weekend. My husband and BFF Kristin go together to the Legends theater in KC and do the 21-and-over VIP theater for big films, and last Saturday, we went to The Hunger Games.

(photo credit)

I first read this book shortly after its release in 2008.  I went to a YAL conference and the speaker listed The Hunger Games as one of her top ten reads for the year.  She mentioned that it was by Suzanne Collins, who I knew to be the author of the Underland Chronicles, which is a popular series with my boys at school.  I immediately found the book and read it in two days.  It. Was. Amazing.  I gave the book to Kristin, who immediately read it, and when we went to Mexico for my brother's wedding a few summers ago, my husband (who does not read for pleasure) read the entire book on the flight and asked for the next one.  Since then, I've reread it once more on my own, once with my Monday night book club, once with my Breakfast Club kids at school, and listened to the audio book at least three times.  Translation: I know the story very well.

Fast-forward to Saturday the 24th - opening weekend.  We went to KC, ordered our sodas (except me! I drank water), and settled in for the movie. Two hours and twenty minutes later, I was shocked at how amazing this movie was.  And I'm not the only one who thinks so.  Opening weekend scored $155 million for the film, coming in at third for the highest grossing opening weekend.  Rottentomatoes.com gave it an 85% overall and Yahoo.com users gave it 4.5 stars. The quality, the acting, the storyline - it is hands down the best film adaptation of a book I have ever seen - and I've seen lots.  The first ten minutes are very emotional for those who have read the book, but I would think that even if you hadn't read the book, you would have to be pretty floored at what goes on.

I'm going again on Tuesday with my Breakfast Club kids - can't wait!