OK so a blog is a place where you can post your personal opinion about stuff without people getting offended, right? I considered posting on Facebook, but then everyone is kinda sorta forced to read it...here, it is only the people who CHOOSE to stick around and read it. :) Therefore, if you disagree, that's totally fine, but remember...you chose to read it :)
So....the Hunger Games....I had all intentions of boycotting it like I did the Harry Potter Series and the Twilight Series. Basically, I boycotted based on principle. When something makes such a HUGE cultural hit that includes screaming girls and choosing "teams" based on hot guys and magic that isn't related to God's supernaturalness, I just couldn't really relate enough to join the American craze to get involved. I'm sure they were wonderfully entertaining and even had social commentary that was possibly redeeming and deep...not saying that there was anything wrong with any of it or seeing any of it, I just couldn't do it. So, I had kind of the same opinion about the Hunger Games, and yet from everything I kept hearing about it, it wasn't really in the same category as the other two mentioned because it wasn't based on teenage love and it wasn't supernatural...it was something seemingly much deeper and much more sadistic...kids killing kids. When it gets to stuff like that that is controversial on a religious or societal level, I have more interest because I know that I cannot intelligently discuss, agree, or disagree on any points without having seen it first. Kind of like when The Da Vinci Code came through. There was so much discussion about it that I couldn't join in without me seeing it so I went...I am halfway using that excuse for the Hunger Games. The other half was sheer curiosity and the fact that we were invited by people we like to hang out with and Italian food was on the itinerary for the evening. :)
Sooooo.....when the movie was over, I was left with 3 things...I was intellectually stimulated, totally disturbed, and completely disgusted. To be honest, I am AMAZED at how America has reacted to this movie. Now I do understand that the book was probably much better as most books are...there was probably TONS more depth to the booths and take away concepts; however, I think for those who read the book and had the development time of working through the story and creating the scenes in their head, they were probably less shocked by the depravation and shocking events of the movie, but I think that is just called desensitized. Were there redeeming concepts that can be pulled from the books and applied to modern day society? I'm sure the answer is a resounding yes. However, as I was watching the movie, I was thinking "Are you kidding me??! There are kids in this theater? And their parents brought them?!!" I am typically not very negative Nancy about movies because I know the general purpose of them is to entertain and the average American takes them at face value and its your own fault if the movie is bad or disturbing, but I had to know what was so addicting about this movie for America, and I feel like there IS something different about this movie compared to the other action packed shoot 'em up kind of movies. This movie was on a different level in a weird way. It has become a new acceptable level of American screenplay entertainment. The bar has been raised.
As the blood bath occurred at the cornucopia of weapons and when beautiful, innocent little Rue gets stabbed through the stomach with a javelin, and when hallucinative bees left a girl mangled and unrecognizable and when the girl attacks Katniss with knives and when the boy is being eaten alive by monster dogs, I couldn't even watch those parts....and America thinks this is the greatest thing since sliced bread........???
I've been told that our society isn't too far removed from these occurrences. Kids can watch the news every day and see death and destruction. Sex slaves and starvation and acid torture occur worldwide....all of which I agree to - insanity is occurring worldwide. We live in a depraved and evil infiltrated world. However, I'm not sure how admitting that or recognizing that gives any justification of America soaking in the drama or depravity of a fictional story that they are spending money to see. If evil is already forcing its way in, why choose to open the doors and swim in it...or much less choose to allow your kids to be infiltrated by it? Yes children can see it on the news and hear it on the streets, but that's real stuff...why choose to be entertained by it? If that is a legitimate argument that kids are exposed to it daily, let's put cannibalism, torture, and porn into our moviews for 13 year olds and call it reality brought to the big screen. At least on the news, its portrayed as bad.
After the movie, Derrick & I talked through it and I've had a lot of time to think about it today, and I will admit there were redeeming themes in the movie. True love, self sacrifice, unconditional love, intelligent survival techniques, and a few more...and looking back, it is intriguing to think through and generally entertaining on a morbid level, but in general, I left the movie feeling depressed and oppressed. I think two things will come from this movie...the possibly very redeeming result might be that I think there will be a group of kids who recognize important concepts in the movie such as bullying, ganging up, cruelty, and will be able to apply those things to their lives and become compassionate and kind and rooters of the underdog. The fact that Katniss was the heroine and she won the non-traditional way of not having to kill except for those presented as evil was a good thing...maybe kids will learn from it. I think there will be another group of kids who are already vulnerable because of the awful things they have to go through at home and at school who become even more depressed and disturbed who end up bringing guns and knives to school strategically trying to figure out how to kill people. That MIGHT be extreme, but when they happen, don't ask me why when another Columbine or Virginia Tech occurs.
If I had a kid who was 17 or 18ish who I knew was intellectually and emotionally mature enough to work through the movie and come to intelligent conclusions, then of course it'd be their decision to watch it....but I'm sorry, I think that the parents who are TAKING their 11-15 year old kids to watch it are CRAZY! You think a 12 year old is mature enough to correctly handle blood shed and control and manipulation of children who are forced to put on a face for society in order to increase their odds of survival and then train to kill for the sole purpose of not being killed.
In general, I just think that somehow America was psychologically brainwashed into thinking that this twisted, depraved story line was so awesome because all the rest of America thought so....kind of the same way the kids had to mentally flip flop from innocent children to kill or be killed survivalists. The human psyche is quite fickle and can be convinced of anything.
Another thing, I keep hearing that this movie is redeeming because its "anti big government"....maybe. I don't know where the next 2 book story lines go so I can't judge yet, but I have a feeling that it may be anti big government in a very Socialist or Marxist way. The definitely distinct line has been drawn between the upper class, mindlessly entertained, over the top fashionista, Capitol folks and the poverty stricken, hard working, oppressed 'American.' The social commentary may shuffle out constructively, but I have a feeling it won't.
I have asked several people who have watched the movie if they liked it...I've gotten the same response several times. "Yeah, it was good...it followed the book really well." ........."and??" I think to myself.....anything else? That's all you got from the movie was that it followed the book pretty well. What about ALL of the other discussable world view points?
Anyway, that's just my take. Take it or leave it. No harm done if you liked the movie...although if you did, I'd love it if you left a comment to explain why so I can understand the craze a bit better.
For now, I'm pretty disgusted.
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