The Hunger Games!

[fishers64]

Good point, Dorek. As Aanchir said, it's hard to know what level of violence to go for when some people are going to enjoy the violence no matter what, and from what I heard, the film emphasises emotional impact over gore. My main objection was people thinking that the film should be made/considered "kid-friendly", which is missing the point altogether.Of course, your point also raises the question of how you make the audience feel that their love of violence is inappropriate... without putting them off from seeing the sequel?

Apparently, you use shaky-cam shots and intriguing plotlines that are about more than just violence. That's the bottom line. Violence cannot be the focus of the plot. That's when people become desensitized to it, when characters do violence for the sake of violence. In The Hunger Games, the characters are violent because they don't have a choice. That's half the point of the series - what do you do when you are forced into a violent situation and don't have a choice? Do you fight back, sit around like hopeless victims, or become a monster worse than when you started? I read The Hunger Games before it was popular, as a recommendation from my 10th grade English teacher. I have not seen the movie, because I don't think The Hunger Games would make a good movie - I can usually tell whether a book has qualities that are well captured in sweeping visuals. Plus the violence and the romance, tragedy, etc are turn offs. THG is just a grim, sad story, and I don't want to watch that.

As for what I think of the series, I saw Katniss as a fighter, willing to stand up for what is right. The problem is, ultimately, is that she is standing by herself. Peeta wants to stand up for what is right but isn't very good at it, as evidenced by his bumbling about in the Games and not doing much of anything useful. Gale is more concerned with people's safety - he just wants everyone to be better off. Katniss is stuck in a world that violates just about everything she believes. She doesn't have enough power in and of herself to make things right. If she stands up for what she values too much she will die. So the animalistic instinct for self preservation is at work also. Eventually Katniss is stuck between the rebels and the Capitol, neither of which have her better interests at heart. Part of her holds out hope that the rebels will do better than the current government, even slightly better, and when they don't, her mind folds on itself because the people whom she trusted to stand up for her have failed. In the end she goes back to Peeta because she knows he knows what is right, unlike Gale who might let her down - he's a protector and a hunter, not an advocate for right. On that note, the ending of Mockingjay struck me as realistic, although that might have ticked off some people who saw Katniss as the conquering hero, but she never really was, merely an ordinary person in savage and terrible circumstances.

Putting THG on film is almost an insult to the series' main premise, now that I think on it. The whole point was that watching such violence for entertainment was bad, and now we are watching it for entertainment. Ugh. No, it is very hard to put the moral struggle I just described (in spoilers) on screen, but it is all too easy to put a violent sadistic romance up there for gawk value. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.I do not find moral struggles boring, BTW. I enjoyed the series. But I think I'll pass on the movie...

[Alyska]

I don't know... I think film as a medium IS capable of making the audience feel the same depth of emotions you can get from a book... if done well, a film COULD theoretically get inside your head and make you feel absolutely sick and terrible for enjoying this sort of thing for entertainment (even if it was only temporarily)... it's just that that's generally not a priority behind big-budget blockbuster films. They want you to enjoy yourself, come out feeling that your money was well spent, and then pay more money to watch the sequel. And maybe that is missing the point, to some extent, but nowhere near as much as this...

[BenLuke]

^ That is one ugly doll.

[fishers64]

Oh well...girls get weapons on occasion.Shameless profiteering...Isn't that the Capitol at it's finest? Edited May 12, 2012 by fishers64

[BenLuke]

^ That's actually cool looking, and has a nicely designed robot face instead of something that looks like an alien off Star trek.

[fishers64]

^ That's actually cool looking, and has a nicely designed robot face instead of something that looks like an alien off Star trek.

LOL. What can I say - Lego wins.

[Dorek]

They actually made a doll?Lol.I'm all for positive female role models in child development, but that is just tooo funny.But yeah, I think you should give the movie a shot. It's not flawless, but it encompasses all of the main themes within the book very well, without being heavy-handed about any of it. It's more faithful the the overall spirit of the book than any of the Harry Potter ones were (at least, the later ones =P).

[Toa Zaz]

Okay, I don't think I'm getting through to you guys. Let me use another example; in a movie like, say, Saving Private Ryan (a much better movie than the Hunger Games, IMO), extreme violence is used not in order to entertain people and desensitize them, but to condemn violence by showing it's consequences. If they'd gone the easy way out and made a War Horse-esque "kid friendly" violent movie with subdued violence, they may have made more at the box office with tickets from younger people, but it would've been a different movie; It would've been missing the comdemnation of violence because it didn't have the guts to show its consequences, and thus weakening the movie's impact. Cash before quality.The Hunger Games, obviously, took the cheap, lazy, easy way out and subdued the more impacting violence from the book in order to get more money, thus making a worse movie. In fact, the subdued violence is more desensitizing, because instead of being in shock at the carnage displayed in front of them, the audience is cheering for Katniss to bloodlessly shoot some tribute whose name we don't know and who we don't care about in the slightest, off-screen, in shaky-cam.On a different note, The Hunger Games franchise has really become the Capitol, hasn't it? That doll...

[dotcom]

Although what you say is true, the thing is, all those other things were conceived to be for and were aimed at older audiences. You can not compare the Hunger Games to Saving Private Ryan. The Hunger Games is a book series aimed at teenagers. Because books and movies have completely different standards for what is acceptable, it really couldn't have been done any other way. It's unfortunate, in a way, but it's how it goes. This is a capitalist society and the media's sole concern is to make a profit. (Which I don't think is a good or bad thing) It's just that making it an R rated movie wouldn't have generated the same blockbuster it did.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Panty Anarchy

[Dorek]

Okay, I don't think I'm getting through to you guys. Let me use another example; in a movie like, say, Saving Private Ryan (a much better movie than the Hunger Games, IMO), extreme violence is used not in order to entertain people and desensitize them, but to condemn violence by showing it's consequences. If they'd gone the easy way out and made a War Horse-esque "kid friendly" violent movie with subdued violence, they may have made more at the box office with tickets from younger people, but it would've been a different movie; It would've been missing the comdemnation of violence because it didn't have the guts to show its consequences, and thus weakening the movie's impact. Cash before quality.The Hunger Games, obviously, took the cheap, lazy, easy way out and subdued the more impacting violence from the book in order to get more money, thus making a worse movie. In fact, the subdued violence is more desensitizing, because instead of being in shock at the carnage displayed in front of them, the audience is cheering for Katniss to bloodlessly shoot some tribute whose name we don't know and who we don't care about in the slightest, off-screen, in shaky-cam.On a different note, The Hunger Games franchise has really become the Capitol, hasn't it? That doll...

We understand your point, we just happen to disagree. We don't think it was cheap and lazy to (in your opinion, anyway) tone it down, because there wasn't much to tone down. The book was designed for the younger generation anyway, so of course the corresponding movie would also have to have that slightly broader appeal.Using your logic, we could take any particularly violent movie and say that it would be better as an even MORE violent movie; maybe The Dark Knight would have been better if more people were decapitated, or if we had actually seen the Joker take out Gambol's face. There was more than enough violence within the (Hunger Games) movie to justify the message, while still being accessible and understandable to the target audience.

[Republic Commando Fixer]

I recently decided to start reading The Hunger Games, and I had to buy it instead of getting from the library. The reason being that every single copy of the book in every library in my area was either checked out or being held. When I did choose to try and hold one, I ended up as queue number 200-something.So far, it's pretty good.

Hahahaha good choice! Which book are you on now?@Alyska, Why does it suprise you that the HG made dolls? Every other big film(s) has made dolls for the girls and figureine's for the boys.RCF Edited May 22, 2012 by Republic Commando Fixer

[Alyska]

It's mostly because it undermines the message of the book/film. In the book, we're meant to feel sickened that the people in The Capitol are so extravagant, while Katniss's family barely have enough to eat. It also criticises the very existence of the Hunger Games themselves, and the glorification of a bunch of teenagers being forced to kill each other. The book does not go into much detail about the in-universe marketing of the Hunger Games, but I'm pretty sure Katniss herself would be disgusted to find out someone was selling dolls of her.Then, there's this:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yViAOnVoqjc/T267j4__24I/AAAAAAAADzk/sy3gM2WJfSQ/s1600/hunger+games+nail+polish1.jpgNow, I actually think this is a very clever piece of viral marketing for the film. It's going to get people talking, complaining, laughing, etc, thus promoting discussion and awareness of the film. Thing is, though, this product does actually exist, and yes, they do expect you to buy it. Given how grotesque some of the people in the Capitol are, and how ridiculous their outfits get, are we really supposed to want to wear something that they are wearing, even if it's just nail polish?

[Republic Commando Fixer]

It's mostly because it undermines the message of the book/film. In the book, we're meant to feel sickened that the people in The Capitol are so extravagant, while Katniss's family barely have enough to eat. It also criticises the very existence of the Hunger Games themselves, and the glorification of a bunch of teenagers being forced to kill each other. The book does not go into much detail about the in-universe marketing of the Hunger Games, but I'm pretty sure Katniss herself would be disgusted to find out someone was selling dolls of her.Then, there's this:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yViAOnVoqjc/T267j4__24I/AAAAAAAADzk/sy3gM2WJfSQ/s1600/hunger+games+nail+polish1.jpgNow, I actually think this is a very clever piece of viral marketing for the film. It's going to get people talking, complaining, laughing, etc, thus promoting discussion and awareness of the film. Thing is, though, this product does actually exist, and yes, they do expect you to buy it. Given how grotesque some of the people in the Capitol are, and how ridiculous their outfits get, are we really supposed to want to wear something that they are wearing, even if it's just nail polish?

I don't doubt that fact that she would be disgusted about it. But don't you think any of the other super heros would be upset?RCF

[Alyska]

Heh, maybe it's silly of me to be making this point on a toy website...Actually, come to think of it, Batman and Kopaka would probably be furious, too, but at least their merchandise isn't actively contradicting and undermining the message of the works they appear in. (Although, The Dark Knight is a borderline example, too, given that it shows the dangers of young people glorifying Batman as a hero). And I guess I can't really say I'm surprised at the existence of the Katniss doll, but I think anyone who sees the film and then wants to buy one should take a looong, hard look at themselves...

[fishers64]

Heh, maybe it's silly of me to be making this point on a toy website...Actually, come to think of it, Batman and Kopaka would probably be furious, too, but at least their merchandise isn't actively contradicting and undermining the message of the works they appear in. (Although, The Dark Knight is a borderline example, too, given that it shows the dangers of young people glorifying Batman as a hero). And I guess I can't really say I'm surprised at the existence of the Katniss doll, but I think anyone who sees the film and then wants to buy one should take a looong, hard look at themselves...

And the market that the doll appeals to is the one least likely to take a hard look at themselves before buying. How insidious. Of course, this was all factored in by the marketing team...

[Republic Commando Fixer]

Heh, maybe it's silly of me to be making this point on a toy website...Actually, come to think of it, Batman and Kopaka would probably be furious, too, but at least their merchandise isn't actively contradicting and undermining the message of the works they appear in. (Although, The Dark Knight is a borderline example, too, given that it shows the dangers of young people glorifying Batman as a hero). And I guess I can't really say I'm surprised at the existence of the Katniss doll, but I think anyone who sees the film and then wants to buy one should take a looong, hard look at themselves...

Haha yeah, I personally would never buy a doll or action figure made from a moive. I did buy some Hunger Games magazines and a few character books etc. RCF

[JPNML]

Hunger games,IMO is the coolest book I have ever read.I think making dolls and such is a bad,bad idea. my scenario with it:a little kid buys the merchandise. then they read the book. then they watch the movie. then,they are mentally scarred.Yeah...

[Grantaire]

Overall, The Hunger Games' best attribute, in my opinion, was its conceptual theme. It is both a griping, enticing, and grim theme at the same time. The characters are decent (although I cannot stand Peeta), and the plot itself is also decent.Personally, I prefer the movie to the book, and reason for that may be attributed to the fact that I watched the movie first. However, I felt that the movie did a good job in showing the Capitol technology, while the book was distinctively lacking in description of it. The movie also shifted from the first person to more of third person, showing scenes between Seneca and Snow etc, which was good.The book itself did not stand out to me much. People are probably going to kill me for this ( ) but I didn't like the books very much at all. The first person present tense for the entire thing was unique, and in fact quite interesting, but it got seriously boring after a while. I personally would have liked to see how the series would have been if written in third person; it would for one have given some perspective to characters such as Gale, Peeta and Haymitch, instead of solely seeing them from Katniss's eyes. But aside from the first person, the style of writing itself, while having some appeal, wasn't one I'm fond of. While I don't like Chesterson's style either, the minimalism way of writing has never appealed to me.

Another problem I do have is technology as it appeared in the third book. In my opinion, after you see all the technology used in the Games (weather control, artificial fires, et cetera) it seems almost unrealistic how the rebels managed to hold on... Unless of course, 13 sent in troops and tech of their own, or the advanced tech of the Capitol wasn't very mobile. *Shrugs.*

Edited June 6, 2012 by Zarayna: The Quiet Light