The Hunger Games Trilogy & Film

I'd never heard of Suzanne Collins before this series. However, I find myself thinking "I have to keep track of this author," after reading The Hunger Games,  Catching Fire and  Mockingjay.

This series reminded me at first of a strange cult film Josh and I came across a few years ago by accident called Battle Royale. It's a crazy Japanese film where students are forced by the government to participate in a deadly game where they must kill each other to win.

In The Hunger Games, two children, one boy and one girl, from each of twelve districts of Panem, are forced to compete annually to be the sole survivor of this game celebrated only by the Capitol, where, out of all of Panem, the rich and fortunate reside, safe from the dangers and sufferings of the districts. The Hunger Games is punishment for the uprising of district 13 (now demolished) that occurred 74 years ago.

Tributes to the Games are taken to the Capitol where they are beautified, lavishly fed, pranced before the citizens of the Capitol, and trained to become deadly, fighting pawns for the Capitol's entertainment. The entire event is publicized where the members of each district are forced to watch this demonstration of the Capitol's power and control over them.

Katniss Everdeen is the lead role in this captivating story. You are immediately drawn to root for Katniss and her group of family and friends that are stuck under the thumb of this cruel and punishing government. I found this series to be impossible to put down. I literally started and completed the first of the series in less then 24hrs. When I heard that the film was out I was so excited to see it. Of course I had to finish the series first. Josh and I went to the Latchis Theater with our close friend Chris to see the film.

Although the movie was both visually enticing and somewhat accurate on some levels to the written series, I was ultimately disappointed by the choices made to keep it at a viewable length. The film's portrayal of the Capitol citizens was amazing. They were over-the-top fantastical, exactly what they should be. The choice to use Owen Wilson as the former District 12 tribute victor and current District 12 tribute mentor was both completely unexpected and extremely delightful. Artifacts and character histories were disconcertingly inaccurate in my opinion. For example, Katniss's family dynamics are key to understanding why she makes the decisions she makes and these are barely even referred to in the film. Also, the first scene in the film shows her walking under the electric fence to go hunting, there's no explanation to the fact that the power is off or that what she's doing is completely illegal and she would have her tongue cut out and be enslaved if caught. Also, Gale, her best friend, is portrayed as a love interest from the very beginning of the movie, where in the series their friendship is strictly platonic until she is taken away from the district.

Needless to say I recommend the series as a can't-miss-reading-experience where the film is a definite do-with-out.