The Hunger Games: 10 Biggest Changes From The Books
3. The Mockingjay Watch
The Mockingjay watch plays an important role in the books and is another foreshadowing device that is left out of the film. In the books Katniss and Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee share a dance at the Capitol, where the Gamemaker shows her a watch that features a subtle image of a mockingjay, which is of course the symbol of the rebellion. That leads to Katniss first beginning to question Plutarchs loyalties and her later realisation that he has given her a clue about the design of that years games, namely it will be in the design of a clock. In the film however, the pair only share the dance and chat, there is no watch in the scene to be used as a method of foreshadowing although what the gamemaker says kind of plays a similar role. This is actually a good decision by the filmmakers as it means that when the viewer eventually gets to see the arena it makes its design all the more clever. Also, by leaving out the watch but letting us see how supportive Heavensbee is of the rebellion behind the scenes, especially in his manipulation of President Snow, we gain a greater appreciation of the character and how he seemingly only joins the games to free Katniss. That means the story in the film is richer because of the background information we are given while the character is better developed as a result.
