The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion

For fans of The Hunger Games, particularly those with an interest in film-making, this book is immensely satisfying. I've read many articles on the upcoming movie, and I was happy to see that most of the photos, if not all, have not been previously published. Quotes were included from all of the actors, as well the producers, director, and various crew.

The book includes six parts:

Part 1: "The History of The Hunger Games" details the film industry's immediate interest following the publication of the book, Suzanne Collins's selection of a producer for the film, and the hiring of Gary Ross as director.

Part 2: "The Cast of The Hunger Games" focuses heavily on the casting of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta. The book also, ahem, pays tribute to the actors playing the other main tributes, as well as to the casting of major Capitol characters including Cinna, Effie, and President Snow.

Part 3: "The Look of The Hunger Games: Places and Props" details the areas in North Carolina used in the film and has many photos of various sets in District 12, the Arena, and the Capitol. One of the photos shows all of the tributes seated in the hovercraft, on the way to the Arena, and another shows the construction of the cornucopia.

Part 4: "The Look of The Hunger Games: People" shows Capitol residents in their garish clothing and makeup, along with the much more subdued residents of District 12. This section has photos of perhaps all of Katniss's outfits and costumes, from her drab District 12 duds to her "Girl on Fire" dress.

Part 5: "The Filming of The Hunger Games" details the challenges of filming in the summer heat and rain in the North Carolina forest. Particular attention is paid to the fireball scene.

Part 6: "The Legacy of The Hunger Games" sets the stage for the filming of the sequel, "Catching Fire."

I read a lot of negative reviews and I don't agree at all. I think people just have unreasonable expectations for this book and the other ones like it. Just because the book isn't what you expected or wanted doesn't mean it's bad. For one thing, the description tells you exactly what you're getting so if you expected something different despite the item description you'll obviously be disappointed by what you get. I'm a bit of a movie buff and I really like the Hunger Games Trilogy so I decided I wanted a lot of the books that're coming out about the movie and storyline. Everything in the book is interesting, at least to me, because I like to see what goes into making the movie and the process of turning books into movies. The movie stills are nice so I can see what they're talking about in the companion and details I might have missed before when watching the movie itself. Watching the movie won't necessarily give you a proper look at what went into making it. I imagine that when they release the movie on DVD they'll include video of the things in this book and the Tribute Guide along with some of the other movie books (at least I hope they do), so some people will probably view the purchase of this book and the others as a waste of time and money. I intend to buy the movie on DVD and if possible get whatever version has all the bonus features. I'm glad I bought the companion because if they don't include this stuff it'll be nice to have it in book form at least.

Although I am very eager to see the Hunger Games movie when it hits theaters, I had no intentions of buying the Movie companion. Then I saw it on the shelf at Target. As soon as I opened it up I could see the pictures and commentary were engaging and exciting. The costumes, make up and hair are fantastic. I see an Academy Award waiting for the people involved in designing the look of the people of the Capitol. Katniss and District 12 also look amazing. I can't believe how close this movie comes to the vision that was in my head as I read the book. I loved reading about all the players who were so in love with the book that they tried desperately to become involved with the movie. Jennifer Lawrence herself was a fan of the book first and she oozes with excitement the day Suzanne Collins comes to visit the set. When I heard Donald Sutherland was cast as President Snow, I was giddy because in my mind he is the perfect choice for that role. I loved reading how he petitioned for the part. I do believe a lot of pictures of certain scenes/outfits may be being held back for the movie audience but what we get in this companion is absolutely delightful. If possible I am even more eager to see this movie. I actually believe now that it will live up to my high expectations.

I pre-ordered this book with the impression it would fill in things the movie left out or have a literal "guide to panem" as in a map of the districts and such. I went to the movie premiere; i don't need a book with the exact same photos I just saw in it. It does have some behind the scenes stuff (that was leaked on the fansites long ago) and the picture quality is amazing - I must give it that much.

Anyone who has become a devotee of the Hunger Games books and movies will find this companion book to be the perfect memento, with beautiful photography, actor profiles and production details to enable you to relive the experience. My copy arrived in perfect, brand-new condition. I only wish it had covered all the movies, including "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," and hope to see another publication in the future to complete the experience.

I really liked reading this and finding out behind the scenes info about the making of the movie and the casting of the characters. It was interesting to find out that some of the actors were asking to be cast the minute they heard about the movie, and that so many of them read the books. I like that they took the time to research the real story behind what they were making in film.

This book is awesome it has a lot of great pictures and behind the making of the book and what it was like to make a book into a moving picture. It had very detailed descriptions of how they picked sites and characters and it was awesome to learn all of that.

This is a really good book that will be enjoyed by just about any fan of "The Hunger Games". The pictures are beautiful and there's a lot of great information but the people who packed and delievered the book should be fired. It was shipped in a large envelope with little padding to protect it and when I took the book out of the package it was bent near the spine and the cover page was also bent. At the bottom on the spine it's ripped and torn back a but. It's like they just crammed it into a box with other packages where it was rubbed over and then crammed it into the mailbox when they got to my mailbox. The book does not look new. It looks used even though I had ordered it new. It's just embarrassing. All in all, I'm going to enjoy reading through this book and looking at the pictures and it will be given a very nice and warm spot on my bookshelf.

Things I liked:
* Well-written
* Contained great background information on how the movie came to be
* Well-organized - each section has a purpose
* Great photos & illustrations - You won't just see stills from the movie. You get shots of Gary Ross directing, costumes from the Capitol residents, close-ups of the extraordinary food used for the movie, concept drawings for the sets, etc.

Overall, great companion book :o)

I have read all three of the trilogy and this is the second of the first book I have bought. The other one was worn out because I kept loaning the book out. It starts quickly and ends with wanting more. It actually got me back into reading although I don't have much time with my life style. I encourage anyone who hasn't read it to do so. It's great for older teens and adults. I think I would not have kids under the age of about 14 to read it because of the subject matter, (it's about teens fighting to the death in a post-apocalyptic era). There is no cursing and no sexual content. The movie comes out March 23rd. Even if you see the movie, which I recommend, I would still recommend reading the books.