What do YOU think about 'The Hunger Games' movie, novel?

I finally got around to watching “The Hunger Games” movie the other day, and I really enjoyed it.

It reminded me of two Stephen King novels, “The Running Man” and “The Long Walk.” It also had strong hints of Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” and William Shakespeare’s famous play, “Romeo and Juliet.” That's not bad company to be in.

Released on March 12, this PG-13 science fiction movie stars Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Josh Hutcherson. Directed by Gary Ross, this 142-minute movie is set in the dystopian nation of Panem. Each year, 24 youngsters are selected from among the country’s 12 districts to battle to the death in what’s called “The Hunger Games.” These brutal games are televised live for all of Panem’s citizens to watch, kind of like a mix of "American Gladiator" and "Survivor." In “The Hunger Games” movie, the story focuses on a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen, a skilled archer who must rely on her wits to survive.

To say that this movie was a blockbuster would be putting it mildly. Shot on a budget of $78 million, it posted box office revenues of over $684 million. It has also garnered a number of awards. It was nominated for Movie of the Year at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards and won the Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards. Keep in mind that this movie only came out five months ago, so more than likely it’ll win a bunch of other awards on into next year.

This movie was based on the novel, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and the movie definitely made me want to read the book. Published by Scholastic Press in September 2008, “The Hunger Games” is the first novel in a trilogy about the same characters. The second book in the series is “Catching Fire,” which came out in September 2009, and “Mockingjay,” which hit the streets in August 2010.

My wife read all three books, and she enjoyed them. She has good taste in books, so I suspect that she’s right, especially considering how good “The Hunger Games” movie was. Also, quite naturally, I’ve had people who’ve read the book tell me that it was actually better than the movie. To me, that says a lot because I thought the movie was pretty good.

Those of you who enjoyed “The Hunger Games” movie will be pleased to hear that there are plans for three movies based on “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay.” The “Catching Fire” movie will be released in November 2013. “Mockingjay” will be split into two separate movies, set for release in November 2014 and November 2015. In other words, fans of the movies who haven’t had time to read the books have got plenty of time to get caught up. Anyone out there got copies of all three that I can borrow?

In the end, I enjoyed this movie and will probably read the book. What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Why? Have you read the novel? Would you recommend it? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.