You probably don't remember (I do, cuz it was all I talked about for 6 months,) but last week marked one year since the Hunger Games movie came out. To celebrate, I thought I would talk about it on the blog.
I've read the books probably five or six times, and every time I do, I find myself thinking "why is this so good?" When you take a step back and look at it, you realize that Katniss is kinda grumpy, Peeta isn't very helpful, and the writing is good, but it's not incredible.
So why am I obsessed with it?
I guess it's like a car wreck, or apocalypse movies, they're so awful you can't look away. The idea behind the Hunger Games is so sickening; it walks this line between permissible and impermissible. The whole concept of kids killing kids, and then the extensive description an entire book provides, could very easily be deemed "not okay" for people to read. But somehow, Collins had gotten away with it, and once we've read it, we can't stop. It's an idea that some of us would never dare to think, either because it's too awful that we would immediately dismiss it, or because it's so terrible we could never imagine it. To see someone has thought about that, enough to write an entire book based on it, we can't help but be intrigued.
And while Katniss may be grumpy, I can't help but envy her. I think on some level, she's the type of person everyone wants to be: smart, brave, capable, and cunning. Even if we can't be her, she's fun to read about. Throughout the books, Katniss plays with the Gamemakers just as much as their playing with her. She knows that the Games are just a television show, so she plays the part long enough to get the sponsors she needs to stay alive. My favorite part about the book is the contrast between Katniss knowing she needs to stay alive, which has it's own type of logic, and having to beat not only the other tribute, but the Gamemakers as well, which is something completely different.
The character dynamics are also very interesting in The Hunger Games. Many of the characters fit into specific roles, but Katniss's and Peeta's roles seem to be switched. In any other YA book, Katniss would be the quiet, philosophical one, and Peeta would be the one taking out tributes with a bow every other page. Props to Suzanne Collins- it can be hard to present fans with a girl character who has the typical characteristics of a male character, because it's so rarely done, but she's pulled it off without a hitch.
I also want to talk about the movie, because I think it deserves some of its own praise. Often times, the problem we see with books made into movies is that the movie has few accolades to claim its own. While an original screenplay can make its mark with its plot and dialouge, in an adaptation, those praises are usually reserved for the author of the book. I'm not saying that Suzanne Collins doesn't deserve those praises- she totally does- but I think it's important to recognize all the good things Gary Ross (the director) did with his version of the story.
The Hunger Games is a deeply personal novel- we're in Katniss's head the entire time, reading her every thought. Movies can portray important emotions through the actors' expressions, but Katniss's thoughts were actually crucial to the reader. She's grown up watching the Games, she knows how the Gamemakers think. Part of us understanding the book as we do is Katniss explaining this all to the reader. In the movie, this would be very difficult to accomplish without having narration, which can very easily go bad. Adding the Gamemakers' room allowed the viewer to know what was going on behind the scenes, and understand how messed up the Games are (I mean, they are actually trying to kill these kids.) It was a way for us to understand what we needed to in order to fully comprehend Katniss's situation, without risking the cheesiness of narration.
Here's a picture of the Gamemakers' room. It's pretty awesome, I know. The spsecial effects are also amazing in the movie,especially in the Capitol scenes.
Overall, The Hunger Games is an amazing book and movie. And let's be real: who doesn't find Haymitch entertaining? There's something about drunk people that just makes them so funny.
