To my surprise, last week, my friend Axel dropped by for a visit. We talked about what he’s been reading, which is The Hunger Games, because his girlfriend – oh, oops, wife, now – just raced through them and cried for two days because she missed the characters. I was surprised to see A. reading THG, because he’s a twenty-eight year old male, but A. is all things intelligent and good, and I won’t dismiss his uniqueness by generalizing – but I will say the film looks good and action-y, which might have helped draw him.
Despite all of the hoopla of The Hunger Games film, I’m not looking forward to it. Not for my usual reasons, which include EGADS could we be more over=saturated with misguided pro-Capitol PR hype for it, and I don’t generally like films made of YA novels, though those are perfectly good reasons. (I’ve been trying to get over the latter, since people are working hard to bring MARE to the big screen.)
The reason I am not as thrilled with all of the big celebrities and the beautiful people (awfully good looking, well dressed and healthy looking for living in Districts, filmmakers. Oh, when will you understand true dystopia?) and the gold eyeliner – although that is singularly awesome on Cinna – is because I do not think that the filmmakers will “get” it. I mean, not like this. Laura Bogart’s way of understanding the story is a lot like the way I comprehended it, with Katniss as an unpleasant, prickly, cold, calculating, scary-vicious survivor. I’ve had to put my head into that game before, the one that says, life – my life – before all others, and “Hollowwood” (that was actually a typo at first; I let it stand) doesn’t usually play to reality like that. Already, Prim is raised up as some pure and perfect specimen, worth all sacrifices; already Katniss is deified, because she never resents her, never resents the cost of that kind of love, oh, no, because She Is Good.
No, she’s not. She’s real. She’s so angry that the Girl on Fire could burn down the world to molten rocks. But, I very much doubt the filmmakers could even see that, much less the actors, although several claim to have read the books.
Just my two cents. Link via Bondgirl. Other equally supportable opinions on the book at Adrienne’s, although I think Tammy is being unsupportably mean. I mean, c’mon. A dress. Fire. A crowded theater. What could go wrong?
As you know, I’ve seen the film by now. It’s different enough from the book that the books still feel like mine. I just wish I could have focused better on the film itself instead of dealing with the shaky-cam. I was reminded of Children of Men, in that what goes on in the background tells an important part of the story.
Thanks for linking to Laura Bogart’s article.
I fear also for the movie. One reason I like to go to the midnight showing, which is what I’ll be doing, is because I know I won’t be with casual viewers–these will be hardcore fans who’ve read the books. So part of the atmosphere is celebrating the books, and if we must dislike the movie, we’ll dislike it together. I love all the teens who come out for the midnight showings, too.
I shall give you a full report Saturday night!