The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

    The Hunger Games series began in 2008 when Suzanne Collins released the first book. After that, she went on to release two more books, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. These books became popular and were adapted into films in 2012 when the first Hunger Games film was released. The story takes place in the future in the Capitol of Panem, where people are placed into districts based on wealth and specialties. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, is a teenager living in District 12, the lowest district, with her younger sister and mother after her father died in a coal mine. Every year, in Panem, one boy and one girl are randomly chosen from each district to fight in the annual Hunger Games where they must fight to the death until one victor is standing. After her sister’s name is reaped, Katniss volunteers for the games and must fight alongside a boy from her district named Peeta. Together, they fight in the Hunger Games and they both make it until the very end where they threaten to end their own lives if the capital will not let them both win. The capital concedes, and they become the first victors of District 12. 

    The Hunger Games movie franchise is so entertaining because it is simply gross and very off-putting. The idea of the government forcing random children to fight to the death in an arena is so strange which is what makes it so fascinating. It’s almost like a bad car crash that you can’t seem to look away from. While this may be an extreme example, I think the point of the book and film series is to represent corrupt government officials and the use of fear to gain political control. In Catching Fire and Mocking Jay, Katniss along with many other victors come together to take down the capital and end the Hunger Games once and for all. I think this is meant to inspire people to fight for what they believe in, even if it means a revolution. 

    The directors of this film, Gary Ross and Francis Lawrence, brought the Hunger Games book series to life and made them so realistic. One way they do this is during intense scenes, the camera is shaky, to simulate being in the scene with the characters. For example, when Katniss is being attacked by Clove, the camera is shaking with the running of the characters to make it feel more real. The directors brilliantly made the idea of the film even more terrifying by shaking the camera, using muted colors, and suspenseful music. 

    Overall, this is an iconic film franchise that has gripped audiences for years after its release. The perfect casting and off-putting nature draws audiences in and inspires them to be the next Katniss Everdeen.