Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Katniss in the arena

Few movies manage to capture to true essence of a book. Fortunately, for fans, The Hunger Games succeeded where films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Eragon failed. There were changes, as expected, but not ones that were detrimental to the feeling of the story. 

Immediately fans see how terrified Primrose Everdeen, the main character Katniss’s sister, is of the reaping that day. It’s clear from the beginning how much Katniss cares for her sister—and how emotionally distant she is from her mother. This scene sets the feel for the rest of the film beautifully.

The casting choices for The Hunger Games fit perfectly. Willow Shields broke hearts as young Prim. Woody Harrelson captured Haymitch perfectly—and hilariously. Josh Hutcherson portrayed Peeta’s feelings towards Katniss and his own life in a moving, meaningful way. The spirit and soul of Katniss comes out brilliantly through Jennifer Lawrence.  Each cast member brought his character to life in a believable, fitting fashion.

  

The addition of scenes not from the books didn’t detract from the story; they enhanced it and set up for Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The scenes with President Snow brought chills to the skin while the moments in the Gamemakers room contained a mixture of horror and fascination. The ones orchestrating the obstacles in the area seemed proud of sending children to their deaths. The technology, though, is quite interesting to see. Think Iron Man’s computer system. 

Katniss and Gale

As with any adaptation, some scenes don’t make the cut while others face alterations. The only real complaint in this department is that if a person hasn’t read the book, she may find herself confused on a few points. Fortunately, through the role of Caesar Flickerman, there’s some explanation throughout the Games. It’s almost like sports commentary. It’s easy to miss details like who Foxface is, that Peeta and Katniss trained together at first and that Haymitch was a former tribute. 

As expected, the movie contains dozens of incidents of violence. Through shaky camera work and angled shots, viewers see what happens without it being gratuitous. The shaking shots can make viewers a bit dizzy or disorientated, so this is definitely not a movie to watch up close. The amount of blood is enough to make the point without taking it too far. There’s a certain feeling of wrongness accompanied with watching children fight to the death; a feeling present in the books and that fans should never lose. Director Gary Ross captured the horror in an effective method.

Katniss and Effie

Because of the extreme violence and emotionally gripping scenes, The Hunger Games is somewhat hard to watch. From the moment when Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place to the trials in the area, it’s impossible to remain completely calm. Be prepared for tears, laughter and anxiety. It’s difficult to watch characters die, especially ones that worm their way into the hearts of fans without us realizing it. It’s worth it, though. 

The Hunger Games is a must-see not only for fans of the book, but the general public. Katniss Everdeen is a true heroine, one that we can all admire. If the box office numbers tells us anything, it’s that the a movie lead by such a fantastic character with an amazing story can and will take the world by storm.

The Hunger Games: The power of marketing

Katniss and Caesar

Marketing is a powerful tool. Lionsgate is releasing a steady stream of pictures, videos, trailers, interviews and other medium for The Hunger Games. As with many movies, it started small. The occasional pictures, the short teaser trailer. Then they launched a website that allowed fans to find out what district they’d reside. The official Facebook page and Twitter feed posted pictures, often coupled with quotes from the book. Theatrical trailers hit movies theaters and the internet. Books and magazines further pull people into The Hunger Games.

Hunger Games merchandise is all over the internet and creeping into stores. Companion books, the mockingjay pin and posters are pretty easy to find. For those who want something a little more, online is the best avenue. 

But how much marketing is necessary? There’s no answer to how much a company needs to push a movie. If the movie itself cannot enthrall audiences, millions of dollars in promotions won’t do a bit of good. Take a look at last year’s The Green Lantern. It was impossible to escape those ads. Everywhere people looked; there Ryan Reynolds was in a weird green suit. It needed to make $500 million to fall under the success category. It didn’t even make half that amount. The trailers alone tell viewers to run away.

The Hunger Games benefits from a strong book following. Fans want to see their favorite scenes come to life in accurate, tasteful manner. Each image Lionsgate releases is scrutinized and debated.

Even though countless fans would still see The Hunger Games without the constant clips and images sent their way, would so many be eager to attend midnight screenings or feel as if they had to see it opening weekend? Each snippet makes fans want more. It’s like eating rich chocolate cake; you can’t have just one bite. The more that fans can see, the more they want the whole film.

Without marking, the masses wouldn’t know about a movie. How many people picked up the book because the trailer caught their eye? Social media allows companies to reach even more people than they could before. It also makes it easier to pass around a new image or clip. 

Given the number of tickets already sold and the positive reviews, it’s safe to predict that The Hunger Games will be a box office smash. Other films can look at the example when hyping up their own films—provided the content is worth watching. 

 And there's no question of the content of The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games: Peeta Mellark, the boy with the bread

Peeta and Caesar.

Spoilers for all three books below.

The use of a sword or mastery of a bow and arrow isn’t necessary to fight a successful battle. Peeta Mellark manages to manipulate the Hunger Games without the use of spears, maces or other weaponry. Instead, he uses the mind.

A good love story pulls at the hearts of many. Peeta’s heartfelt revelation of his love for Katniss creates the ultimate helpless situation. There’s no way he can win. (Check out the clip of Peeta telling Caesar here.)

Peeta’s revelation not only creates sympathy for him, but Katniss as well, which was the point. Peeta hold no hope to win the Games. He wants Katniss to survive. Throughout the book, Peeta does various acts to play on the “star-crossed lovers” ploy he cooked up, probably with some advice from Haymitch. It’s not hard to believe that Peeta truly loves Katniss through his actions and words. 

Because the story uses Katniss’s point of view, readers don’t know what all Peeta does during the first part of the Games. Capitol replays some of his actions at the end of the book, but not all of them.

Waiting for the scores

Katniss uses her own forms of manipulation on the Capitol crowd, frequently playing off the love story once she figures out that’s what Haymitch wants. During The Hunger Games, Katniss has not realized how she feels about Peeta, aside from feeling as if she owes him and that they have some sort of past connection. It’s easy for readers to put the pieces together, though, to learn before Katniss does. 

Peeta’s work on Capitol’s crowd added to the foundation Katniss laid down by her own actions to that point. The two of them fought against Capitol not with the intentions of inciting a rebellion, but to save someone they loved. Neither character believed their actions would stop future Hunger Games from occurring or stop Capitol. 

Peeta takes the star-crossed lovers theme one-step further in Catching Fire when he announces that not only did he and Katniss wed already, but also that she is with child. On the surface, this move seems like a cheap shop to top Peeta’s reveal in the first book. It works even though Katniss and Peeta don’t play on the idea constantly throughout the Quarter Quell. The pregnancy claim stirs the hearts of the Capitol citizens once more, possibly forcing them to ask if it’s right to throw a pregnant woman in the area to die. Given how obsessed with the self the citizens are, it’s doubtful.

Peeta

Because of the rebellion plot occurring, the pregnancy bit doesn’t seem as relevant as a reveal. It’s necessary, however, given how Peeta behaved in the first Games. He must continue to play on his true need to keep the woman he loves alive. As explained later in the trilogy, Katniss and Peeta did not know about what the plan the other allied tributes were following. To drop what Katniss believes is a ruse puts their lives in even greater danger, quite a feat given Katniss and Peeta’s participation in the Quarter Quell. Capitol made it clear with the scores that they want Katniss to die. The convenient use of the previous tributes is another strong indication of this, whether a reader believed that the card actually read what it did or that Capitol changed it. 

Peeta’s personality and determination to keep Katniss alive makes him a very likeable character. He doesn’t play the victim, something easy to do in the situation. He shows frustration with everyone, even Katniss, taking away the thought that he is a pushover. One of the best Peeta scenes occurs in Catching Fire when he finds Haymitch and Katniss the morning after the Quarter Quell announcement. He comes up with a strategy and puts the plan into action. 

Peeta’s injuries in both Games can make him appear as a hindrance to Katniss. However, Katniss’s caring side had to come out during the Games to remind readers of the type of person Katniss is. Aside from a survivor, she takes care of those she loves.

Capitol’s torturing of Peeta is heartbreaking. To see such a caring individual reduced to madness is hard to endure.  It’s easy to feel anger towards Peeta during the interviews in Mockingjay and his subsequent behavior, but it’s necessary to keep in mind what had happened to him.

The burned bread

Being unable to determine what’s real or not real leads to a terrible existence. The woman he loved would cause pure terror rather than help him recover. His family was dead. 

Peeta complements Katniss’s character without becoming a flimsy or transparent person. He maintains a true presence through the trilogy, something not all love interests manage to do. Peeta’s masters of manipulation deserve applause, for he helped beat Capitol at their own game.

The Hunger Games: Cinna fights with fire and thread

Cinna portrait poster

From the moment Katniss describes Cinna’s appearance, it’s obvious that he is a man of subtle skill. Unlike others in Capitol, he hasn’t dyed his hair some crazy color, undergone surgeries to change his appearance or any other odd fashion quirk. He dresses in simple black clothes with gold eyeliner around his dark eyes. From there he continues to surprise Katniss by admitting that he wanted District 12, the least desirable of Panem, and that Katniss must see the beings of Capitol as “despicable.” (p. 64) He doesn’t deny that he is one of them, and yet it’s clear that he knows how wrong Capitol is. 

Cinna and Portia, Peeta’s stylist, develop costumes for the parade that allow flames to burn around  Katniss and Peeta without causing injury. The purpose of the costumes is to force everyone to see and remember District 12. The fire theme carries onto the night of the interview in Cinna’s next creation. The prep team transforms Katniss’s hair, skin and nails into complimentary accessories to Cinna’s masterpiece. By using colored gems, the dress appears as if it is on fire. She spins and the flames engulf her, yet she remains unharmed.

Entertainment Weekly: Katniss and Peeta in fire suits

Fire commonly accompanies the notion of power. Flames destroy, often uncontrollably. Cinna’s works of art fueled the idea that Katniss can win the Games and will not back down. Her score reflects her skills, but visuals often intimidate more than numbers. Seeing a woman under the illusion that she cannot be harmed by flames plants a seed of doubt in the mind. 

Cinna’s costumes would not have worked had Katniss not been who she was. Had she simply given up, not acted as she did during the parade or interview and acted sullen, it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well. Throwing a doctor’s coat on a man doesn’t mean he can perform surgery. Cinna’s designs inspired and enhanced Katniss. 

Given how important image is to Capitol and its people, the role of the stylist is completely necessary. Molding a person that no one knows into some type of image the crowd will adore is a challenge. The tributes need the crowds to want them to win. Those sponsor gifts can place a tribute in the winner’s circle. 

Contains spoilers for the end The Hungers Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

The fire theme continued to the end of the book, in Katniss’s Victor’s dress. It’s yellow, made to look innocent. The idea is that it glows like a candle. The innocence is vital after what occurs at the end of the Games. He once again must use clothing to prove a point.

Cinna’s work continues in Catching Fire, first through her “talent” and Victory Tour dresses and later on at the Quarter Quell. Rather than set Katniss on fire again for the parade, he creates an outfit that is designed to look like burning coals. I took it as a display of growing resentment towards the Games. President Snow didn’t allow Cinna to make something for the interview. Instead, Katniss was to wear the wedding dress Capitol had selected for her. Cinna made his mark, though, causing the dress to transform Katniss into a mockingjay when she twirled. 

Fortunately, Cinna’s work appeared in Mockingjay in the armor Katniss wore when she fought. It also resembles a mockingjay. 

End spoilers.

Interview dress

As with any book to movie conversion, I find myself concerned about some points. One of these is Cinna’s costumes, namely the interview dress. We’ve seen pictures of it. It’s red with a pleat-like bottom that may give the appearance of flames. I hope. It’s such a spectacular dress in the book. 

Cinna fights back without weapons or words. It’s artful and cunning. I can’t wait to see his work brought to life.

Citizens of Capitols: Victims or enablers?

Capitol

“Mom, why do the Hunger Games happen every year?”

“Didn’t you pay attention in school? The Hunger Games are punishment for that awful rebellion during the Dark Days. District 13 thought they could beat Capitol. Now they’re all dead.”

“But no one from Capitol goes to the Games, right?”

“Oh no, son! We know what great and wonderful things Capitol does for us. Without Capitol, we’d be like wild dogs! Imagine that, your father killing and skinning something for us to eat!”

“That boy from 4 is closing in on the pack and they don’t know it!”

*cheers*

That’s a conversation I imagined between a son and his mother while watching the Hunger Games. While reading the books, the citizens of Capitol seem like idiotic, horrible people. From their excitement over watching the slaughter of District citizens to vomiting in order to enjoy more food, Capitol’s citizens define several of the seven deadly sins. It’s easy to write them off as worthless and evil. 

Cover

One of the biggest questions I’ve heard others ask about this book is how the people of Capitol can sit and cheer for the Hunger Games. Humans are violent. Countless examples through history and even occurring right now prove the point. Children see violence on cartoons almost immediately. Stemming from that idea are public executions. How many people watched a hanging on YouTube?

 Most know the stories of crowds gathering in Place de la Revolution (now Place de la Concorde) in Paris to watch many die by guillotine. The gladiators in ancient Rome are another example. With these events in mind, it’s easy to see why the people of Capitol see the Games as “entertainment.”

Severe propaganda is necessary to maintain the idea that the Games aren’t “wrong” and that the Districts deserve to go through them each year. Countless times have people questioned how a group of people can blindly follow a leader or government when it’s clear that the actions are wrong. One of the clearest explanations of how this can happen is in the book The Wave by Todd Strasser.

In the book, a high school teacher, Mr. Ross, finds that his students don’t understand how the Germans allowed the Nazis and Hitler to do what they did. He creates an experiment to teach the point. He starts out simple by requiring strict discipline and behavior in the classroom. Then he creates a special symbol and a motto for the class. It picks up and the class starts recruiting others to “The Wave.” The movement causes some students to change their appearance, behavior and actions.

 Eventual a student starts to question "The Wave" publically. Her protest leads to repercussions, specifically violence from her boyfriend. Eventually Mr. Ross realizes what his classroom experiment turned into and calls for the students to gather. He uses an image of Hitler to explain to the students that they proved how the Germans allowed the Nazis rise. 

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

Through Katniss’s descriptions of Capitol citizens, readers see how self-absorbed the people are. The outside appearance is a huge deal. Why else would so many wear what they do and alter their bodies? From this idea, it seems as if Capitol places emphasis on the self. If a person is constantly thinking of himself, odds are he won’t be so inclined to contemplate the suffering of others. The parade of tributes forces the citizens of Capitol to focus on the show rather than the person who is probably going to die soon. Thinking about how a way to mimic the gorgeous District 5 suits fits right into Capitol’s obsession with the self. 

The people of Capitol themselves aren’t naturally evil, though they are guilty for allowing these monstrosities to take place. In the end, they celebrate the Games. Katniss has clear pity and disdain for the citizens. While I agree with her disdain, I can’t say I ever felt pity for them. As easy as they are to ignore for the big picture, they serve as a lesson to readers as to what happens when a group follows a leader blindly.  

Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire

Katniss Everdeen

The female Tribute from District 12. A star-crossed lover. Girl on Fire. Mockingjay. All these describe Katniss Everdeen, the main character in The Hunger Games. Readers see the story through her point of view. She is strong, determine and cynical and marked to die.

Who is she, exactly? How did she come to be the way she is?

Katniss is the eldest of the two Everdeen sisters. Her father died when she was 12 in a mining accident. After his death, her mother falls into a stupor, forcing Katniss to take on the role as provider for the family. She develops her hunting skills and eventually meets up with Gale Hawthorne, another boy trying to help his family survive. Gale’s father died in the same explosion as Katniss’s did. Gale is a few years older than she is. The two work together to catch enough food to feed both their families. Due to her resentment of her mother’s mental abandonment and her hard lifestyle, Katniss is rather cynical and rough. Her little sister Primrose is the only person that she loves deeply. 

After Effie Trinket selects Prim at the reaping for the 74^th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers. This move wasn’t a surprise, but making her volunteer rather than being picked gave her character much more depth. Katniss promises Prim she’ll try to win, even though she has no real hopes that she will return to her home in District 12. 

Throughout preparations and the Games themselves, Katniss proves repeatedly that she is a survivor. She knows that she will receive no mercy from Capitol and can play her own games to survive another day. 

Katniss and Effie at Reaping

What makes Katniss such a great character isn’t only that she volunteered to die in a horrific fashion for Prim; it’s her behaviors, attitudes and decisions. Katniss isn’t innocent. She isn’t naïve or clueless. She also has reasonable and understandable emotions. She cries, she hurts, she acts out in anger. How many times are the heroes or main characters in books, movies and comics considered a weakling if they show too much emotion? 

Forcing us to read about Katniss grieving makes her seem more human. We’re already put into a horrific setting that seems unbelievable on the surface, but with a little thought can feel as if it could actually happen. Katniss changes right before our eyes in a masterful way. Suzanne Collins showed us how the arena changes people without being too obvious about the changes or telling us. 

Coupled in with most discussions about strong female characters is, of course, the love interest. In a way, there are two in this story, though I never considered Gale a true contender. In a world without the Hunger Games, possibly, but he has a dangerous streak in him that would cause considerable problems between the two in the future. In Catching Fire, yes, it could be called a “love triangle” in the loosest definition of the phrase. The man is Peeta Mellark.

Peeta fell for Katniss long before the story begins, as he explains during the Games. We’ll save an in-depth look at Peeta for another post. Katniss has a bumpy relationship with Peeta. She doesn’t depend on him to keep her safe, nor does she need him to define her. The two can work together with either seeming pathetic or weak.

Katniss, the Girl on Fire

Various reviews and discussions criticize the way Katniss breaks down during Mockingjay. Her response was realistic. There’s only so much tragedy a person’s brain can handle. Mentally shutting down was her way of dealing with the situations, or at least attempting to recover from them. This reaction doesn’t classify her as weak or useless. It makes her human and different from other female characters. Very few can explain what it is like to be hunted, so there’s nothing for most people to base her reactions on. 

Katniss is one of the best examples of the types of good female characters that readers want to see. Writers can learn more about the types of characters the masses want to see by following Suzanne Collins example.

Where's the love? A look at the lack of romance in the EU

Romance is a fickle thing in writing. Too much will make the story seem too soppy or distract from the main plot while too little leaves readers unsatisfied. Finding that balance is one that many writers struggle with. When it comes writing romance, I shy away from the long, love-filled speeches. I prefer to use actions and gestures, like a touch or favor. There’s no set formula, though, about how much or how little a story needs.

Romance plays a vital role in so many stories we love. Think about Empire Strikes Back. The love story between Han and Leia was phenomenal. It wasn’t drippy or character killing (go Harrison Ford’s improvising). It wasn’t awkward. It was believable. Their actions made sense for the characters, making their love easy to see. It was a vital chain in the story, not some silly side plot.

Take Harry Potter as another example. While love is a major theme of the book, it’s not romantic love. The romance in Harry Potter is much less than some fans wanted to see. Hermione and Ron don’t have grand, loving moments. In the books, we don’t even see their first kiss. The movie handled that scene well. It was the moment we were all waiting for—and expressed the same amusement as Harry did about the situation. 

Romantic pairings come into play in Harry Potter. The Ron and Lavender incident caused severe friction between the three. And who can forget about the Yule Ball fiasco? Bill and Fleur’s wedding and the pairing of Remus and Tonks added not only a touch of romance, but hope to the latter books. 

Even Harry’s crush on Cho and feelings for Ginny were rather muted. He pined for them, but it wasn’t as if they were the focus of the books.

When it comes to Harry Potter, I don’t think that the books needed more romance. It wasn’t about Harry’s relationship with Ginny or Remus learning that he can have love too. The romance added a bit of flavor to the book, the topping if you will.

Romance is something severely lacking from the Star Wars EU. It didn’t used to be. The best example of this recent problem is the Fate of the Jedi series. It started with great romantic interactions with Jaina Solo and Jag Fel. These continued through the series until Backlash. There was nothing in Backlash. No real Jaina and Jag or Han and Leia. Allies? Yeah right. Vortex, a sliver. Conviction? Not really. Ascension? I’ve already expressed my feelings on the “romance” in that book. 

What doesn’t make sense with FotJ is that there was a love story right there to work with and expand upon. Jaina and Jag were prominent characters in Outcast, for one. After that, their roles dwindled. It’s important to maintain some type of character balance in a long series, but it was lost along the way.

When I think of romance in Star Wars, I don’t think of chats in the starlight or candlelight dinners. It’s more action orientated and animated. It’s possible to have a romantic interaction without gooey language or even a kiss. It’s all in the wording and the character point of view. A person’s reactions are more telling than anything else is. Look at the Hunger Games trilogy when Katniss thought Capital was going to torture Peeta. She wanted to kill him to save him. Even though she didn’t realize it, it was clear she loved him.

The EU books need romance to balance out the story. Think about a book or story. Now categorize what is going on in the book. Each piece acts as a building block to make the perfect tale. Too much of something and the story feels odd. 

Romance is something that most can understand. Most people want to love someone or already do. It’s an emotion we can understand, even if we don’t have any experience with the situations or emotions the characters are feeling. I’ve never been hunted, or as good as dead, but I understood Peeta’s need to keep Katniss alive in The Hunger Games, for example. 

Star Wars is a space opera. Love plays such a vital role in the overall Saga. Anakin’s obsessive love for Padme influenced his decisions to go to the Dark Side. Would Anakin have fallen had he not fallen in love and married Padme? It’s very possible, but the story wouldn’t have been the same.

Romance also appeals to everyone. We all know the arguments about romance novels and “chick flicks.” They’re for “women.” Plenty of men enjoy these types of stories. The concept that romance is only for women is a pointless, old stereotype.

One of the many questions I’d love to ask the editorial team and writers is where the romance went. Including some aspect of it would not only make the books feel more “Star Wars,” but would also make the stories more appealing to a wider audience. Without Mara and Luke, the content falls mainly on Han and Leia’s and Jaina and Jag’s shoulders, yet we don’t see too much of either. 

When writing, I can’t put the number of pages or romantic interactions into a calculator to determine how much more or less I need. Reading the story and finding feedback is the only way to accomplish this. Receiving feedback from multiple sources is even better. That way, it’s possible to see multiple views of the scenes in question. Some stories only need three or four romantic moments or bits while others need a chapter’s worth of content.

The argument for balancing romance is similar to angst, tragedy, comedy and other genres. Each has a place in a story—and a certain amount called for. While not every story needs romance, that factor was established as a key factor of Star Wars during the OT. It’s time for it to come back.