I have not seen it, so this is not a movie review. However at the insistence of a co-worker I have read the book. I must say that even though it is a book written with teen girls in mind, it is not that bad. Unlike the awful fan fiction like writing of the Twilight books, Suzanne Collins manages to pull of a interesting world and a strong main character.For those that have never read it, The Hunger Games is told from the point of view of Katniss Everdeen a 16 year old girl from District 12. It seems that North America, at least the US, has gone through some changes in the unspecified future. It had been split up into 13 Districts each with a specific role to play in keeping the Capital running. When all of the slave camp like Districts started a rebellion District 13 was bombed into a mass of wreckage and poison air as an example to the others.
Now because of that rebellion each of the remaining Districts must give one girl and one boy tribute to the Capital once a year to participate in the Hunger Games. The Games happen in a new arena each year and are broadcast for all to see as 24 kids ranging from twelve to seventeen try to kill each other. The last one standing each year is rewarded with plenty of money to eat and live a life of relative ease.
Wait, you say, that sounds a bit like Battle Royale. Well yes it does, but Battle Royale sounds a bit like The Running Man, and the list goes on from there. So don't be a hipster douche and say you saw it before it was called the Hunger Games.
All in all it is a fun, quick, and worth the time to read. There are parts that bothered me, and they are the same parts that bugged me about some of the later Harry Potter books. The whining and petulance that the main character sometimes showcases. Now I was a teenager once and I get where the author is coming from, but at this stage in my life it is just kinda annoying to read about.
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I find it funny when people dont understand the comparisons done between Hunger Games and Battle Royale. Sure movies like Running Man, Gamer, Death Race and even Surviving the Game are similar. They are all about televised violence and real people being killed, but Battle Royale is almost an exact duplicate of The Hunger Games.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I never read the books and Im sure this would change my view on this, but as it stands when I saw the movie the entire time I was wishing I was watching BR instead. Outside of the "game" Hunger Games has much better politics and characters. Inside the "game" BR has much better action.