The Hunger Games

Yeah guys, I know, it's been awhile since I unloaded into something, hasn't it? Let me introduce you to the shining pile of....bleeeh that's been all the rage over the past year or so: The Hunger Games.

When the movie first came out, it got massive hype and fanstuffs. I heard a lot about it before I first read the book, which believe it or not was on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. My host Dominican family had an English copy of the Hunger Games lyin' around, so...why not.
On the way back from the missions trip, I watched the movie. By the way, did I mention that Delta earphones suck? I had to squash my hand against my one earbud and plug my other ear and turn up the volume to two thousand so I could hear over the roar of the airplane. Not the best conditions to watch such a movie, I admit.

So...I suppose this is in order.

SPOILERS ALERT!! IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS THEN...
What do I care. Read on.


The Hunger Games is a story set in a conservative's nightmare, in a future/apocalyptic thingiemajigger USA where the government controls everything. Panem is a country split into 12 districts (pssst it's actually 13, but don't tell them). Katniss, our main protagonist, is a girlie whose dad is dead from a work accident and has to help her mom take care of Prim, her little sister. She lives in district 12.

So every year there is what's called a 'reaping', where several kids from each district are selected to participate in 'The Hunger Games', which is like a gladiator fight except in a simulated environment. It's complicated. Anyway, the reason this ceremony is held is to remind the districts of how Panem arose. In the collapse of North America, the districts fought against the Capitol and the Capitol won. And they installed the Hunger Games.

Long story short: Katniss's sister Prim is chosen in the reaping but to save her Katniss volunteers to go in her place - which is highly unusual. Peeta, the brawn in this book, is also chosen to go with her. They have this awesome guy Haymitch (who was a winner from district 12 in a past Hunger Games) tutor them....sorta, and they participate. It ends with both Katniss and Peeta winning, defying the Capitol's order to fight to the death and coming out alive. And that's the end of the first part of the series.

For the sake of my sanity we won't go into the rest of the story.

Why indeed do people love this so much? It's dark, strange, choppy, and has the most awkward romance I've ever read. Katniss likes Gale but likes Peeta too who likes her but Gale kinda likes her but doesn't and...doesn't so Katniss is like 'what' and Peeta is all like 'I wuv you' and it's not clear whether he really does love her or whether he's just playing her and Katniss is just confused about the whole mess. Derrrrrrrrp.

Horrible and confusing love story aside, what about the characters themselves?

Katniss, the main protagonist, is one of the strongest characters I know. She's strong, compassionate, kind and firm when she needs to be. She does break down once or twice, but hey, she's in a battle royale to the death. How can you not feel the pressure?
Peeta is, well, Peeta. He's strong, strange, and utterly unpredictable. Just the sort of guy that a girl would love....ugh, this reminds me of Twilight...
Haymitch is awesome. I don't care what you say about his vodka problem, he's just one of those guys who doesn't give a (insert proper French here) about what happens. At least, he appears to be. It turns out, as the series progresses, that he drinks to get away from his past - especially his past in the Hunger Games. It is revealed that he might have a spark of caring somewhere in that beer-obsessed brain.

The characters, overall, aren't that bad. Where I feel this story plunks, though, is the actual elements of the story itself.
Have you ever watched a gory movie and felt like puking afterwards? I'm not someone to flinch at disturbing pictures, but this movie nearly made me throw up.
The Hunger Games themselves is a gladiator duel between kids. For the pleasure of the masses. It is a truly sickening thing. The book and movie bring that out well, but I don't have a problem with that, I have a problem with why is it there in the first place.
You do not need such a drastic example of evil in a story. You do not need to, in a story, describe a rape scene in detail merely for the purpose of emphasis. In the same way, you don't need to add kids to arena fights to emphasize just how wrong arenas are. Evil is horrible. We know that. And we have plenty of real-life examples of evil. There's no need to bring this out.

That being said, there is also a pervading sense of gloom over the entire series. The books are depressing. The movie is depressing. The whole thing is just depressing. Wonderful, Suzanne Collins. Give me more! Make me more depressed! It's okay, I got some Prozac on hold!

Many people like this series nonetheless, and I understand why. I personally hate it. It's my policy to be wary and skeptical of something that receives a lot of acclaim from the world, and the Hunger Games is pretty high on that list. If you wish to disagree with me do so by email at deltalorincz@gmail.com. Not in the comment section.

Chow.