I went to see Hunger Games last night...
by myself...at the theater...by myself...
it was very suspenseful (I know that sounds ridiculous since I actually read the books, but it was)...and I sat there by myself...did I mention that I went all alone?
This was not one of my better ideas...nope...me and suspense don't get along too well...I would venture to say that I missed about 30% of the movie due to the fact that I put my jacket over my head and peeked periodically through the zipper.
I must say that I was relieved to see that the theater was not filled with young teenagers, but rather the college scene and a few women clearly there to escape doing late night housework and munching on large bowls of popcorn...
(I missed out on the popcorn part of the evening, but never fear, I had a baggie filled with jelly beans and sprees hidden in my purse:)
So...the movie...
After reading all 3 books and seeing the movie, I still stand firm in my belief that this is not a film or book set that I would recommend to young teenagers or tweens...seriously, it was almost reminiscent of Lord of the Flies or Children of the Corn...mixed with Animal Farm and some love story twists of Twilight...
I'm not trying to bash the movie or the books...not by a long shot...
One thing that makes literature GOOD literature (in my opinion) is the author's ability to congure up imagery in the minds & imagination of the reader through the weaving of his/her words...the ability to not only create a painting in a reader's head, but to cause the reader to become fully engaged, mentally & emotionally within the story...almost to immerse the reader so that when they close the book, it takes a few moments to collect oneself and remember that it's just "words on a page"...
The thing is though, with good literature, it's not just words on a page...IF it's really good and it's done it's job, it changes you...it can cause you to see life in a different way, it can change a belief or perspective...it can even sometimes confuse your ability to discern between reality and make-believe...most often it makes you feel...sometimes emotions that are incredibly strong and set you toward a purpose...other times, just feel good or even angry...
The underlying threads (lessons, if you will) that were woven into the story line were ones of hope, choice, perseverence, spirit and will...You saw them in the determined eyes of the main character and even in the voice and actions of the crazy mentor, Haymitch...
It's a shame that it had to be coupled with the lack of regard for human life...innocent lives of children. I think I may have been able to stomach it more if it had been bad guys being murdered in the blood bath...but they were children, still in shock from being "chosen" in the "reaping"...just doing what they were told to do in order to survive...others killed because they lost touch with humanity...they had clearly given up....
Don't get me wrong...I was "obsessed" with these fictional writings too, there is something sickeningly attractive to the plot...fortunately, I had recognized my inability to put the book down and forced myself to think about other things...because really, the "sci-fi" part of this book, although sometimes just plain difficult to imagine, had the emotion that is still the same...and I could "feel" myself, FEELING with the storyline...
They were well-written..plain and simple...and the movie did a good job of trying to put on screen what people had congured in their heads (you can thank the Hugo Cabret movie for explaining that phenomenon) Books are always better, in my opinion...just because you can take pages upon pages to develop a character...whereas in a movie, you have to try to sum it up in a few seconds so that you can get on with the plot...
I think I'm just most disturbed with the whole thing not because of Susanne Collins and her writings...she is clearly a gifted author...what irritates me is that the media spun the whole thing to teens and even younger. There are kids at our elementary school that are wanting to read these books because of all the hype (actually some are reading them)...Junior Highers, who do not have a necessarily long life experience with which to compare the feelings that they are sure to encounter...I know that there are genius kids out there that could probably get the "lessons" or the underlying premise of the story...but is it necessary to subject them and even entice them to desire to "see" and "feel" the murder of children their own age? UGH...what happened to riding bikes, doing hair, and experimenting with make up?
Call me the UNcool mom...the one that was JUST introduced to 80s music by her husband a few months ago...I was a nerd, I wasn't allowed a lot of things...and yet, my REAL life offered me the chance to grow up stinkin' fast...I didn't have to imagine it or see it on a screen...so, I guess for my kids, I just want them to enjoy where they are...I don't want them to be niave, obviously...but at the same time...do they have to experience SPECIFIC things in order to grow or value other things?
I'm not going to force my girls to drink powdered milk so that they value the milk we buy in the gallon jug...but I still want them to value it...can I find another way?
I want them to enjoy their peers and the "latest trends" but, does that have to be at the expense of innocence of feeling and thought?
I already have to face discussions with my girls at an earlier age that what I want...because I'm forced too...if I don't do it, the school will do it first, and if not them, then their peers...in secret...and therefore I feel like some control is taken away...I don't know...
I know that it seems like I"m making a big deal out of a silly fictional read/movie...and many will think I"m going WAYYY over board...and that's okay...because really, I"m only responsible for my own girls, not everyone else's kids. I guess I just cringe when I remember my time in the classroom as a teacher, listening to 4th graders discuss topics that their bodies and minds aren't developmentally ready for, no matter how intelligent they are...
Someone has taken a larger than life complex story and "dumbed" it down enough so that it's not so gorey and repulsive to people, but enough so that it's attractive...I mean, we could just read historical accounts of the holocaust or have elementary kids read the Mark of the Lion stories by Francine River (which I again, highly recommend to adults:) We wouldn't let our kids get obsessed with reading and watching documentaries on the death of innocent people...reliving it in their imaginations...we realize the seriousness of it...it makes our hearts sick because of it...and yet, it is easy to glorify to the teen scene, the possibility of an arena where children fight to the death...because "it's a cool love triangle between Katniss, Peeta & Gale"...is it just a slow fade?
bottom line about the movie (and the books)...they are really good..well-written...great actors...would recommend it to MY peers and young adults, those that see it for what it is and can maturely handle the brutality of the plot:) (without it just being about going ga-ga over the actors) It's not often you find books that grab you like this...but, it will be a long while before I'll feel comfortable letting my eldest crack it open:(
