The Hunger Games

Never before have I cowered into my friend's shoulder at absolute disgust of what was on screen. 24 teenagers forced to fight until the death, with only one sole survivor. It is all televised in a twisted combination of Bear Grylls’ “Man vs Wild”, “Big Brother” and warfare.

Set in the future but not that far from the present, Suzanne Collins, author of the bestselling novels that the movies are based off, tells how she came up with the story line. She was channel surfing and on the one hand the likes of Jersey Shore, or Big Brother, or dear I say our own crappy reality show (that is funded by the STATE no less) The GC was on, and then on the other hand there was war. In her tired state, these two concepts blurred into the story that is now The Hunger Games.

In this future world, there are 12 districts, and a class system that ranks district 1 as the richest, and district 12 as the poorest. Katniss Everdeen played by Jenifer Lawrence, comes from the poverty stricken district 12. Every year each district chooses a ‘tribute’, a boy and a girl, to compete in the Hunger Games. When Katniss’ sister is picked as the female tribute, older and fiercely protective Katniss volunteers instead.  

Public officials of the Hunger Games constantly repeat the taunting, “May the odds be ever in your favour”, and as the movie continues, those words install anger at how untrue they are. Twenty-four 12-18 year olds enter and only one comes out alive. Teenagers from richer districts have a better chance because they have the money to train their children before they go to the games, and a better chance of gaining sponsorship – where a benefactor can send a tribute a parachute with an essential item to help them out. When Katniss’ chances are looking good, the game master creates an inferno with fireballs aimed directly at her. The control panel lines the camera up for the kill.  

Tributes are faced with moral dilemmas of survival. Do they form alliances that eventually will have to end in brutal violence? Will they fight or flight when faced with a battle? And what happens when you become attached to someone when eventually one of you must die?

When the credits roll, I was left in absolute horror that this society could slaughter so many of their youth as entertainment, but the movie also carries the weighted words that, “hope is stronger than fear”. Without giving too much away, Katniss’ journey is similar to the likes of Che Guevera where her actions inspire a nation that perhaps; it doesn’t have to be this way.

My only criticism is the link to Twilight with a clear "team Jacob", "team Edward" feel about it. The plot and the themes are so rich, that it's not necessary to also have a love triangle. I fear that screaming teenage girls will latch onto the romance of the story, and themes like, survival, surveillance, poverty, morality will get left behind.   

It left me hungry to devour the books, and I am patiently waiting on the edge of my seat for the next movie.