katniss - the girl on fire

Every time I read a novel, there is a natural drift for me to form the physical appearance of the characters in my mind.  The physical characteristics of novel-characters are formed in my subconscious through the writer’s intricate ability to describe.

Last Thursday, as I watched the film adaptation of the Suzanne Collins movie The Hunger Games, I was surprised to find out that the physical appearance of the cast closely resembles the look of the characters that was formed in my wits when I was reading the novel.

Surprisingly, the actors chosen to play their respective roles in the movie bears close resemblance to the ones formed in my mind.  Case in point was the lead actress who played the role of Katniss Everdeen, though in my often flaky imagination she is supposed to be 2-size smaller in body frame and a little bit shorter.   This is because she is supposed to come from a poor and food-deprived district.

But I was so shocked in disbelief when the actor who played the character of Peeta Melark appears exactly like the one formed in my imagination when I was reading the novel years ago.  I felt like being the very casting director of the movie when I saw him on the big screen being first introduced and announced as the male “tribute” (participant) in the 74^th Hunger Games.  The color of the eyes, the hair style, the skin tone, the facial features, the body frame, the lips and the smile was exactly the same.  Even the length of his eye brows!!!

peeta mellark - the baker's son

Though I adore Lenny Kravitz, his physical appearance unfortunately is not the one that was contoured in my sagacious circumspect.  I was actually looking forward on how Kravitz would play the role of Cinna, the fashion stylist, responsible in creating Katniss to be dubbed as “The Girl On Fire” in the novel.  However, Kravitz looks (along with his acting and demeanor in the film) for me was too subdued.  Cinna for me is supposed to be flamboyant, flashy and splashy similar to that of the judge in America’s Next Top Model series – Ms. J Alexander.

ms j alexander - my type of cina

I don’t intend to write a critic about the movie (I hope not to violate this intention).  But nevertheless, I believe the movie is still a faithful representation of the amazing novel.  Besides it is understandable that you cannot cram the entire book into a 2.5-hour movie.  The first book of The Hunger Games series is just too much to be created only for a single movie.

Eksakto!