The story, however, is horrible. Clearly I knew the story before I saw the movie, and I knew the basic story before I read the book, and I know it's fiction, but I honestly felt sick to my stomach watching it this afternoon, and considered walking out of the cinema. Because seriously, a book/ movie about children killing each other? Awful.
"I was channel surfing between reality TV programming and actual war coverage when Katniss's story came to me. One night I'm sitting there flipping around and on one channel there's a group of young people competing for, I don't know, money maybe? And on the next there's a group of young people fighting an actual war. And I was tired, and the lines began to blur in this very unsettling way, and I thought of the story." - Suzanne Collins (from the back of my copy of the book).
I saw Titanic in 3D in Sydney on Tuesday though; that was glorious and I cried. Sydney update coming soon :)
8 comments:
Agree with you Miss Rogers! Combining Gladiator with children is actually a rather sickening thing... I wonder how many actually think that though?
Michael G
While I agree with the idea that the concept is horrible - which it obviously is - I don't think that The Hunger Games is glorifying it. Just the opposite, in fact. I haven't read the book yet, but the film and the quote you just posted seem to be making a comment about the direction our society is heading, and drawing attention to it, which is a good thing, I think.
While I agree that the concept behind the plot isn't exactly PG in nature, i think it had a lot of potential as a political thriller. I found that while this plot had promise, it was absolutely wasted on the children's novel that it actually was. People tend to be saying the movie is true to the book (i haven't read the book), and if thats so, then this must be one really shitty book. I don't think a single decision that the characters made would ever actually be made by a person in the situations portrayed. It was clearly written for primary school to middle school students who haven't yet developed critical thinking skills, and is a story about reinforcing societal morals, rather than how the world actually works (or, would work if it came to such a horrible fate).
No, I don't think that it's glorifying it either, and there are definitely comments that the characters make, or in the book, thoughts that Katniss has, that do question the way things are, and provide some commentary on how things are (or would be).
Nevertheless, the thing that I think most people would take away from either the book or the film is not a comment on our world, but on the survival skillz of Katniss Everdeen, and how unfair her world is. I wondered, as I watched the film, if they made the people who lived in the Capitol look so outrageous so that people watching wouldn't draw comparisons between those people and 'us'.
I haven't seen the movie but I have read the whole trilogy, and I think it is very clear that Katniss (and Peeta especially) is not okay with the way things are run in Panem from the very first book. That theme only got stronger as the book went on. I really identified myself as a Capitol person in the third book especially, when they talk about all the things that they have, and that they don't need, while the people in the districts suffer. It was an equivalent wake-up to me as reading about the impoverished in Africa would be. Another thing I found interesting was that while I was reading the third book, the whole KONY 2012 thing was big news, and I found the way that people just reposted it on facebook/equivalent was very similar to the way that the Capitol people reacted to the plight of the districts when they found out how bad it was. A lot of "trendy" causes, and not much action.
I don't think I would let my children read the book, at least not by themselves (I would read it to them and skip the more violent bits), but that's not because I think it doesn't have important messages. It's because I wouldn't let my children watch anything violent because I think that violence for entertainment is stupid and unnecessary. There is enough violence in the real world.
My question is - why are people in such uproar about children killing children in this book, when violent movies with adults killing adults for entertainment are glorified all the time? How is a child's life so much more special than an adult's? I find all violence abhorrent and that people see children killing children as a particular abomination odd. I never watch violent films myself and I've been told many times by people that I'm missing out on great/important films and need to desensitize myself to it. Why should I have to desensitize myself to something like that? Aren't we sensitive for a reason? Doesn't that show that we are exactly like the Capitol people - watching others suffer for fun (even if it's fiction, I don't see the difference)?
(OK that's alot of questions...)
*a lot of questions.
Also, mammoth comment...
I agree with you Libby...I don't understand why people watch violent movies (mainly ones that involve killing) for entertainment and even acknowledge themselves that they've been 'desensitized'. while we say it doesn't impact our actions, there are many murder trials which have suggested violent movies/games influenced and spurred on the killer...scary stuff :s Give me Titanic any day (maybe minus the part where they die!)
Hi Sarah I agree with Charlotte's comment.
Perhaps I word it a bit stronger in my review...
http://jasmineyow.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/may-the-odds-ever-be/
I hope to read the books someday.
Jasmine (from Wed night)
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