Six Reasons Why Even Cynics Can Get Excited About The Hunger Games

An Unreality guest post by Thomas Fink.

Why I picked it: I just read the first two Hunger Games books and was hooked, despite them being a young adult-type series. I believe, like Thomas, that the movies have the potential to be badass. Also, this piece actually made me laugh out loud a fair amount, which is a sign of any well-done article.

When it comes to the current state of pop culture, I’m a cynical, close-minded ass. Even when I’m at my most apathetic, there’s only so much I can take of cookie-cutter sitcoms, dead-horse-beating Internet memes, soulless attention whores, and Pop-Tart space cats I still don’t really get.

There’s a point to this little rant, by the way. Cynical as I may be, I actively engage in the media on a daily basis, desperately searching for nuggets of awesome to quiet my fragile psyche. The Hunger Games movie, coming out this March, could be such a nugget. When I caught the teaser trailer and noticed the franchise gathering momentum, I was immediately compelled to investigate this hullaballoo.Fast-forward two weeks, and I’d already finished the trilogy. And I… I kind of liked it. In fact, I found myself identifying with not only Suzanne Collins’ well-developed characters, but also appreciated the subtle criticism behind Panem’s societal trends.

And there it is. If a jaded 20-something can get his version of excited about the biggest cultural phenomenon since Harry Potter, Twilight, and the Republican primaries combined, so can you. Here’s why.

1. Dudes Can Come for the Badassness…

In the post-apocalyptic world of Panem, 24 kids are picked each year to battle in “arenas” filled with poisonous flora, face-munching fauna, and state-of-the-art death traps—while literally the entire nation watches on TV. I know they’re aiming for a PG-13 rating here, but holy shit, guys! This flick could easily spring for a hard R if it wanted to. Why? Because most of the movie is (probably) about malnourished teens killing each other until they are dead, last-virgin-standing style.

“Revenge is a dish best served WITH AN ARROW TO THE THROAT.”

P.S. – At the risk of sounding sadistic, I’d keep right the hell up with those Kardashians if I knew one of them might succumb to giant hornets whose venom induces painful, violent, hallucinogenic seizures. WHICH TOTALLY HAPPENS to pitiable fools in the Hunger Games!

2. …And Chicks Will Stay for the Romance

Let me be clear: the Hunger Games is NOT Twilight. Spines get broken, rest assured, but that has everything to do with desperate, murderous adolescents—and nothing to do with telepathic fetuses. Nevertheless, Collins does weave an intricate love web between kids who face impossible choices on the regular. This occasionally becomes tiresome on paper, but I’m sure we can trust movie execs to accurately translate these relationships onto the big screen.

I sense a spinal injury coming on!

3. Muttations

OK, back to the violence. After getting a visual blowski from the unfortunately named Rise of the Planet of the Apes over the summer (someone just give Andy Serkis a monkey Oscar already, please), I’m finally making peace with CGI in general. That being said, it should be interesting to see what Lionsgate does with its $100 million-dollar muttation budget. “Its what now?” you say. In Panem, “muttations” are “genetically altered animals” that the government uses mostly to “f*ck up people’s shit.” The first movie heralds the appearance of wolfish muttations that may or may not be spliced with human DNA. End result? How about 4-inch-long Ginsu claws, impeccable jumping abilities, and the haunting eyes of dead children? In MIND-BLOWING 3D?!

Seriously, I can’t wait to watch one of those mutts eat a damn kid.

4. Woody Harrelson Plays Haymitch, the drunk mentor

As a sarcastic alcoholic who suffers from annoying bouts of empathy, I thoroughly identify with the character of Haymitch. And while I would have wholeheartedly endorsed the casting of John C. Reilly, who was originally considered, Woody Harrelson has all the right stuff. Hell, he was a bartender on Cheers. And just check out Zombieland, where he kicks ass and chugs whiskey straight from the bottle at 75 mph because f*ck you, zombie police! Nobody’s owned a walking corpse so hard since Anna Nicole Smith challenged her husband to a breathing competition in 1995.

“An’ thenna said, ‘Whaddaya think? Zombie killa tha week?’”

5. Suzanne Collins is a Time Traveler and/or Sorceress

Well, probably not. But the dystopic Panem she imagines consists of an environmentally molested North America ruled by an iron-fisted totalitarian regime. Stay with me, now. Meanwhile, the vast majority (up to 99 percent, perhaps?) of the decimated population inhabit (or “occupy,” if you will) comparably destitute districts outside the capitol. But while people are hungry for change (zing!), they lack coordinated leadership to depose the status quo. Sound familiar? Well hang on to your britches, bitches, because Collins penned the first book back in 2008! Yet her allegorical commentary on government control, environmental abuse, and personal independence clearly apply to the here and now of America at large. (Coincidentally, what I had mistaken for whimsical escapism is actually closer to what Dr. Emmett Brown might call some “serious shit.”)

So yeah, pretty sure that broad’s a time traveler. Or she saw Running Man on Xanax.

“Ze odds ah nevva in my fayva!”

6. Filthy, Filthy Teenaged Sex

Ah, just kidding, buckaroos. Despite the growing market among college basketball coaches worldwide, Collins leaves nowhere-legal sex romps to the experts at MTV, HBO, and other acronymic entities. They’re going for a PG-13 rating, remember? Plus, it’s hardly common practice for movie studios to tamper with authors’ original, artistic visions (Ed. note: it is)…

“Oh hey, girl. Look at me, all sprawled out so spontaneously. What do you say we play a little ‘Call of Booty’ up in my cave tonight, hmm? Get it? Cause there’s a rebellio—oh, never mind.”

Actually, let’s just put a pin in that last one for now. Savvy?

See more of Thomas at his Facebook page, and on Twitter here and here.

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21 Comments

  1. The concept of the games themselves bear resemblance to the concept of Battle Royale, but if you really think that there is no difference between the two then you haven’t read all three of the books. There are a lot of stories out there with similarities between the two of them…that’s just the kind of culture we live in. Your statement here is far too generalized and there’s nothing to back it up other than a bunch of kids get thrown together in an outdoor arena ran by their corrupt government and have to kill each other and the survivors rebel. I’m sure you could point out some more nit-picky similarities – I’ve heard the majority of them.

    Also I’m not calling Suzanne Collins the best writer in the world, but I’ve taken dumps that have been more coherent reads than what Stephanie Myer passes off as writing. These books are well-written, fun to read, and have a strong female protagonist. The first person present tense isn’t something you see in a lot of books, and I think it was amazingly well done.

    I’m looking forward to the movie. The books were good even though I thought the third was lacking. I really enjoy Jennifer Lawrence both aesthetically (oh to have been her make-up artist for X-men) and as an actress – I think these movies will be enjoyable for a wide group of people.

  2. The plot of this movie is nothing less than awesome, but I think I have to agree with Nilsilly. Maybe the book isn’t like that, but I have a feeling that the movie will be heading in that direction. The PG-13 rating is the first downer. It is really difficult to make a good movie like this without a little bit of gore. The other issue I have with this movie is the director. The guy directed two movies; Pleasentville and Seabiscuit. That says it all.

  3. Don’t know much about the series, but this definitely increased the likelihood that I’ll see the first movie. Too bad about the filthy filthy stuff… a little nudity could improve (most) every movie, after all. Good read and pretty funny. Thanks!

  4. Comments say it all…

    I’ve been hearing a lot about the Hunger Games, but never really payed attention to the premise. However, I have read the Battle Royal book, seen the film and even read the mangas… Love it! HG sounds just like it, but SO MUCH weaker. (PG-13 and no sex says it all… com’on?!) I’ve also heard it had a Narnia-esque Christian angle that also makes me cringe.

  5. I’d be more encouraged if you hadn’t just finished praising the latest Twilight flick and you hadn’t compare it to Twilight in the first line of your second point with the only noted difference being a lack of telepathic fetuses in this one. Point is, all of the kids who are into Twilight are into Hunger Games as well and that does not bode well, Mr. Tassi. My Twihard sister couldn’t wait to show me the trailer which screamed BOOOORRRRIIINNNGGGGG at me and seemed to be leaning entirely on brand recognition to sell itself. I’ve got way too much on my plate to waste time on the latest tween sensation, even if it was ripped off from something I love. Be a G and go pick up Battle Royale instead. I’d watch it for the tenth time before bothering with Hunger Games.

  6. @Drester
    If by “That says it all.” You mean he’s made two very good movies in two tries, I’d say you were right on. Steven soderbergh also did some second unit work, so that bumps the director cred quite a bit in my book too.

  7. An entertaining read, and one that makes me want to take one more swing at that series. I had tried twice before, but found Collins’s writing style to be dry at best, alienating at worst.

    Not a ton here on the actual story or characters, but hopefully those are good, too.

  8. @Mandy
    I don’t know where you heard about the Christian parts. But they’re wrong. The book has NO mention if Christianity or religion in general.
    @trashcanman
    Did you even read the article? It wasn’t even written by Paul, the one that praised the latest twilight. Also in his second point he emphasizes that it is NOT twilight. I’m guessing you hit ctrl+F and searched twilight and stopped there. Because if you read it you wouldn’t have sounded like such a moron. And simply because your sister likes twilight and hunger games doesn’t mean they are both piles of shit. I know a few people that like twilight and harry potter, does that mean harry potter sucks?
    As for the Battle Royale comparisons, yes they do have some similarities, but the hunger games has so much more going on than kids forced to kill other kids, just like battle royale has more to it.

  9. @Ian
    “Your statement here is far too generalized and there’s nothing to back it up other than a bunch of kids get thrown together in an outdoor arena ran by their corrupt government and have to kill each other and the survivors rebel.”

    So like, the entire plot?

    Oh, but in THIS one the country is “Panem” not “Japan”, and there are 12 “Districts” not 12…uhhh School Districts. (Battle Royale).

    And the main character is a girl who happens to have 2 impossibly handsome, impossibly nice men in love with her for practically no reason (Twilight).

    People take classic stories and modernize them by slapping on pop culture. I’ve read The Hunger Games and they’re very readable books, but they’re pretty obviously Ten Things I Hate about You compared to Battle Royales The Taming of the Shrew. The article was entertaining though, and for those who haven’t read or been exposed to Battle Royale at all they have a great shot at enjoying it. 🙂

  10. @Nil – first off I would like to say that I don’t want our discussion to get ugly. I like to think the internet can be a rational open forum. I detected no venom in your previous post, and I hope you detect none in mine. But I still must reply as such:

    Also this may be SPOILER-Y.

    The arena setting is very similar, but that is not the entire focus of the books. Setting aside the sequels (which branch off into rebellion and war), the first book feels much more Romanesque than Battle Royale…esque. The way the games are held in THG feels way more like a day at the Colosseum. The games are televised and promoted and people generally enjoy watching these kids slaughter each other. BR has the kids being monitored, but not watched by the entire country. Suzanne Collins cites her source of inspiration from Theseus and the Minotaur, a story where Athens is forced to send tributes to Crete in order to appease their King for a previous trespass. The book is laden with allusions to Roman culture throughout. The names are roman, and the hedonistic lifestyle of the capital is as well. There is even a scene (in the second book) where the capitol people discuss a medicine that induces vomiting so they continue to eat (Rome had vomitoriums for the same reason).

    The perspectives and overall themes of these stories are entirely different, that is why I do not believe it is fair to compare these in the same way that one can compare 10 Things and Taming. No one is denying that they have similarities to one another, but they are also similar to The Lord of the Flies and The Running Man and The Long Walk. At the end of the day they all tell a different story even if they go about doing it in a similar way.

    And Stephanie Meyer did not invent the love triangle. She just has it fresh in our heads because Twilight still isn’t over yet…sadly. Honestly the “love triangle” in these books is so underplayed that it never once bothered me. You have two guys that have known the main character for such a long time that it actually makes sense for them to feel for her. She on the other hand is so detached after losing her father and having to provide for her starving family that she barely lets it register that these two guys might be potentials for some kind of relationship. The character in this story is at least worthy of the affection bestowed upon her. She is strong, self-sufficient, and intellectual – the kind of girl that Bella Swan simply is NOT and never comes close to being until halfway through the end of the fourth book. Katniss has to pretend to love Peta for the sake of the lives of the people that she cares about, and in doing so she gets confused along the way. There is the small detail of the war at hand though, so she really could care less about “love” when people are dying left and right. By the end of the books the choice was made for her and she still seems very reluctant to be in love.

    My main point is you can take any superficial element and show how it is similar to another story that has been told, but the way it is presented and woven together change it entirely. There is a surprising amount of depth in these books. The only part I didn’t like was that the third book felt rushed and I think it should have been extended into a fourth.

    I enjoy both the Hunger Games AND Battle Royale, but when I read through HG I was thinking of the Running Man and Ancient Rome the whole time…them’s my cents, hope you enjoyed both of them.

  11. I read Battle Royale about 6 years ago, loved the book, and loved the movie (even its sequel, which admittedly, isn’t nearly as good). But I started reading this trilogy about 3 days ago, fully expecting a Battle Royale ripoff, and I’m already halfway through the second book. Collins has actually done an amazing job in writing these, and although it does of course have similarities to BR, they diverge in so many other ways that it really is hard to fully compare the two. I wouldn’t write this off yet, just because it looks like BR. I’m incredibly excited for this movie to come out now.

  12. @Ian
    Totally agree, and sorry if I came off as snippy before 🙂

    I think that we just have a difference of opinion on what themes we focused on when reading THG. You make some good points on the Roman angles. I caught the vomitorium reference but didn’t bother to look for more. I think that it boils down to the fact that I think Hollywood will make 1 “children battling to the death against their will” concept movie no more than every 10 years or so, and I would much rather it be a different portrayal of that plot construct than THG, which I found to be a bit lacking. The trailers also have me really worried that they’ll focus on the parts of THG that I really didn’t enjoy. I’m sure I’m not the target audience though.

    Cheers

  13. Yeah I think it will be hard to pull this off considering the perspective that the book was written in. Without the inner monologue of Katniss explaining how she feels it’s going to be hard to deal with issues such as the mock-romance between her and Peeta.

    I’m still looking forward to it and hope that they pull it off…it’s a shame we won’t be getting a Battle Royale overseas anytime soon because of this coming out. The can release No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits within the same month but we can’t have two similar books get movie adaptions within the same year.

    And you didn’t come off as snippy – I always appreciate some good rational discussion.

  14. I agree that his movie should be rated R because the violence and language would be more realistic. I am also a little leery of the director….

    TJ Fink well written article and a fun read… what weapon would you use if you were to be in your own version of the Hunger Games Today?

  15. Too bad, I was looking forward to seeing this till I found out it philosophically supported the current anti-capitalist, class warfare, socialist bullshit that’s going on in New York and other cities.

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