In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers as tribute to save her sister from having to play. Thus begins the story of our heroine, the people that she meets along the way, the friends and family she cares about, and her complicated feelings of being made into a revolutionary figure. The book series captivated us as readers, and the movies did a nice job of capturing the heart of the books.
Still, The Hunger Games movie series barely hinted at several other storylines present in the books, or at times, the movies left certain storylines completely out. While we understand that the silver screen has to adapt its source, there are still storylines that we wish we would’ve seen. We could see them becoming their own film.
The Career Tributes: Economic Differences
We learn in the movie and the book series that the districts closer to the Capitol are often the career tributes. They train to be tributes. As such, they are vicious in their pursuit of killing off other tributes, almost thirsting for battle. In contrast, we have the other tributes, the reluctant ones like District 12 (Katniss’s home). If they have skills, it’s not from extensive training, but rather from survival.
For instance, Katniss is a bowhunter, which helps her perform well in the games. This skill doesn’t come from training like the Careers, but rather from having to support her family. The book spends more time showing the differences between the Career Tributes and everyone else. A film could play with these differences. It could do more with the idea that the Capitol created this discord between Districts. The other tributes don’t care for the Careers, seeing them as the enemy, rather than the Capitol and the games.
Tools to Terrorize: The Dogs With the Fallen Tributes’ Eyes
The tools to terrorize or traumatize the living tributes are much worse in the books. Once particularly bad one is at the end of the first book. At the end, it’s only Katniss, Peeta, and Cato who are left.
In the film, we see all three chased by fierce dogs. However, in the book, it’s much worse than that. The dogs look like the deceased tributes, even having their eyes. When Peeta notices it, he says to Katniss, “What did they do to them? You don’t think. . .those could be their real eyes.” Katniss worries about their brains, thinking that, “Have they been given any of the real tributes memories? Have they been programmed to hate our faces particularly because we have survived and they were so callously murdered?” This additional storyline about the dogs is both sad and incredibly terrifying, especially since one of the dogs has Rue’s eyes, adding to Katniss’s anguish and guilt over her death.
Prim Becoming a Healer
Prim becomes a healer just like their mother. We know that Prim is compassionate and cares about all creatures (as shown by her care for her cat), so it makes sense that she becomes a healer. While we have elements of this storyline in the movie, it is in the book more, and we could easily see a film dedicated to Prim.
After all, Katniss became stronger out of necessity due to her dad’s death, Prim also became stronger out of necessity due to Katniss’s absence.
Peeta’s Family
When Katniss is starving and suffering, Peeta intentionally burns bread so that he can throw it out for her. We see his mother unhappy with him for what his mother assumed was carelessness. This scene is in both the book and the movie. However, in the book series, Peeta suffered more of a beating than was shown in the movie. In addition, Peeta has little attachment and concern about his family. This storyline would give us the background necessary to see what made Peeta strong, but yet still kind.
Finnick’s Story
It’s revealed that winning the games doesn’t really make you a winner. The movie does a good job of hinting at the larger story in which Finnick is abused and used after he won. We do learn more about his past and love story with another tribute survivor in the book. Finnick is an interesting and conflicted player; we think he could carry a film on his own as well. His story would be an interesting one to tell.
Tesserae: Entering Your Name Extra Times for Provisions
While it’s true that Prim is only entered once due to it being her first time, Katniss explains the system even more in the book. The book dives deeper in the economic differences between families in the districts. This is evident with the tesserae and The Reaping. If a family is poor, then they enter their children’s name more times than the required amount in order to get more tesseraes. A tesserae is a portion of grain and oil for one person. Both Gale and Katniss have their names in there many times in order to get food for their family.
This storyline of the haves and have-nots within a district could be used prominently in another film, especially since one of Katniss’s friends (who isn’t in the film) is wealthier and less likely to be in the games.
Katniss’s Parents’ Love Story
Katniss’s mom was from a wealthier family, one that was known as healers. Her mom left that wealth for love, in order to be with Katniss’s father. This background would show viewers about the values of Katniss’s family. Money and stability are nice, but love is more important.
However, after her dad died, her mom was stuck in such intense grief that Katniss became the main provider. This could also show Katniss’s aversion to love, not wanting to care about someone so much that losing them would break you. Having a prequel about her parents’ story could help inform the viewer about her conflicting feelings concerning love.
Dad’s Death
One aspect that we miss in the movies is the storyline about her dad’s death. Although briefly mentioned in the movies, this storyline informs Katniss’s actions in the books. Why is it so important that Katniss sings at Rue’s death/burial? It’s because she hasn’t really sung since her dad died. Her dad was known to be a good singer, and Katniss inherited this talent from him. However, she still hurts over her dad, so she doesn’t sing. Having a film about her dad’s death and how she had to support her family would add to the original trilogy.
Gale Using Death Traps that Mimic Her Dad’s Death
Gale knows Katniss well, so he should know that the death traps he’s making startle Katniss for two reasons: 1.) He’s killing innocent people; 2.) The death traps (especially the District 2 one) mimic the way that Katniss’s dad died.
She tries to reason with him, “It’d be like causing a massive coal mining accident.” But Gale is beyond her reasoning when he says, “Is that everyone’s problem? That our enemies might have a few hours to reflect on the fact that they’re dying, instead of just being blown to bits.” This storyline shows that Gale is further away from Katniss, not caring about the same things she does.
Madge and Katniss’s Friendship
Madge doesn’t exist in the movies, and she’s really important in the books. Madge is the mayor’s daughter, so she’s part of the District 12 elite. However, she’s also Katniss’s friend. While Katniss likes her, Gale doesn’t because she’s part of the elite. In the end, even being from the local elite doesn’t save Madge.
Before that, she was the one that gave Katniss the Mockingjay pin. Madge’s storyline and friendship with Katniss is a missed opportunity, deserving of its own film.
