Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Morgan Osheka, 2013
I don’t think I know of anybody who hasn’t heard about the newest pop phenomenon known as The Hunger Games. The popular book series, written by Suzanne Collins, has captivated readers similarly to other book series like Twilight and Harry Potter. Deciding to follow the trend of most popular novels, The Hunger Games brought its story to the big screen.  With a plethora of actors casted for the movie (including Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, and Wes Bentley to name a few), the film not only used its strong cast to portray the characters well but also to lure in outsiders who may not have been familiar with the series. Much of the anticipation among fans came from how the lead roles of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) would be portrayed. Premiering on March 23, the movie pleased many of its fans as well as those who have not yet started the book trilogy. The first novel, The Hunger Games, starts the series off introducing Katniss who lives in District 12.
If you’re someone like me who was explained by a peer as to what District 12 is and how came to be, you probably were thoroughly confused. The basis of the story evolved from the idea that because of a brutal war, North America came to be the country of Panem, which was split up eventually into 12 Districts. The Capitol, which rules Panem, set up The Treaty of Treason which gave laws to guarantee peace among all districts. In order to make sure that the districts never went back to war, the Hunger Games were created and were in other words a punishment for the uprising conflicts that had happened between districts. Each year the annual “Hunger Games” take place, which is a tournament where twenty-four tributes, two from each district, are imprisoned in an outdoor arena which holds treacherous animals and anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. After several weeks, the tributes must fight to the death and whoever is the last tribute standing is declared the winner of the Hunger Games.
The story unfolds when on Reaping Day, the event where the tributes from each district are selected, Katniss’ younger sister, Primose is chosen as a tribute for District 12. Unable to allow her sister to enter the Hunger Games and possibly die, Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place instead. Now, I won’t tell any more about the series because I don’t want to give anything away. If you’re really curious and don’t know what happens already I highly suggest going to theaters to see the movie as soon as possible. Or if you have a lot of time on your hands, don’t be afraid to pick up the books and uncover even more about the series.
As one of the so called “outsiders” who have not yet started the much loved book series, I did however see the movie and thought that it was amazing! I never got bored, there was always something going on mainly because the storyline is so intriguing. The characters were captivating and you literally felt like you were in the Hunger Games with Katniss. Just the creativity of the whole story and the way the actors really fit their roles made me a huge fan of the series. I can’t wait to start reading the books and I’m more than positive that from already seeing the movie, there’s no way I could be disappointed! “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”