So I completed the Hunger Games trilogy. As most folks agree, the first book is the best. The second and third suffered from some interesting problems in my view. While many criticized them as being slower than the first, (which they are), that never bothered me. The first is in many ways a simplistic story where the good and bad guys are pretty clear. The fact that Catching Fire and Mockingjay might be seen as worse could stem from the more complex moral dilemmas. The second book's characters are not terribly original or interesting, and the plot I found a bit too predictable. The third books plot is definitely far less predictable, but the characters are still underdeveloped and the story ends with far too much sadness. Not that a tragedy is a bad thing (heck, I love tragic stories, one of my favorite films being Vertigo), but I don't think this story left me in the mood for a tragedy. Parts felt like the movie Aliens, part felt like an anti-war story, bouts of depression lasted far too long, characters died seemingly meaningless deaths...I don't know...there were good ideas there, but they simply weren't executed to my liking.
So going back to the first book, the action is interesting, but what really grips me is the human interaction. Suzanne Collins chose to write in the first-person present-tense, and it was done quite effectively, getting us into the head of the protagonist, Katniss. As she interacts with the other major character, Peeta, I really came to love the human interaction. I cared about the characters and their struggle, I bonded with them, I was remarkably compelled by them. The first book, as short and simplistic as it was, left me hungering (haha) for more, including an opened love triangle a la Twilight, only I cared much more for these two blokes and the girl having to choose between them.
Even though the second and third books had their action portions as well, the humanity of the protagonists was somewhat lost, and I was unable to relate to the characters as well. I didn't care when folks died, and by the time the love story was resolved, I simply no longer felt that emotionally involved. I hope the films handle the material a bit better, as I again admit that there were interesting ideas. I hope so, because I found the first film so very emotionally engaging as well.