ferocious, dog-like creatures to deal with the remaining contestants. The book identifies them as genetically modified creatures called Muttations, or Mutts. In the movie, the dogs are fairly generic but still terrifying creatures, whereas in the book each of the Mutts looks like a tribute that has already been eliminated, in particular their eyes. The fact that the Gamemakers went out of their way to make the creatures look like the previous contestants shows that there is no line of cruelty that they won’t cross to terrify the surviving contestants.
A different species of Mutts that resemble lizards appear in the Mockingjay book. While Katniss and her crew of rebels are being chased through the sewers by the Mutts, Katniss is horrified to hear them whispering her name. These Mutts made it to the movies, appearing in Mockingjay – Part 2. Their ability to whisper Katniss’ name was adapted out, perhaps because it would have been too creepy even for the Hunger Games films.
One aspect from the novels that the films included but barely touched on at all is the Avoxes. In the books, Katniss explains that they are people who have angered the Capitol and had their tongues cut out as a result. Katniss recognizes several Avoxes during her time in the Capitol in the first two books, while in Mockingjay she meets an Avox named Pollux who is working with the rebellion. The Avoxes in the Capitol appear in brief cameos in the first and second films, while Pollux travels with Katniss and her crew in the two Mockingjay films.
The Avoxes’ inclusion in the first two books served as yet another ploy by the Capitol to unnerve Katniss, especially considering she has a history with both of her personal Avoxes – one of them, Lavinia, is a girl who Katniss saw get captured in the woods outside District 12, while the other is a former District 12 Peacekeeper named Darius. Still, they are not an essential part of the series’ lore, so it’s understandable why an in-depth exploration of them didn’t make the cut for the movies.
Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss’ mentor, is portrayed in the films as a wise, if somewhat crude alcoholic. While there are hints of sadness and trauma to his character, Haymitch often serves as mild comic relief thanks to his sharp tongue and drunk antics. However, the books go into great detail about Haymitch’s tragic backstory and explained exactly why he is an alcoholic.
It is revealed that…
