"May the odds be ever in your favor"

Who says murder is against the law? Obviously not the Capitol in the newest hit movie, “The Hunger Games”. This movie was based off of the first book in a series of three by Suzanne Collins. These books take place in the future, in a place called Panem, modern day North America. This story line captures the emotions of viewers as they watch 24 innocent children forced to fight to the death. But this movie has much more to it than just blood and gore. A love story begins to unfold as the games are about to begin, but is it real? Or is it just an act to help these two “lovebirds” win? You be the judge.

Like most movies that derive from books, there is a ton of pressure on the producer in order to make the film as accurate as possible. If too many details are changed, the fans may not enjoy the movie, giving it a bad review. This movie, however, was extremely similar to the novel, as cuts were only made in order to squeeze this detailed story into a movie less than two and a half hours. Only a few alterations were made, including the death of one tribute and the exclusion of a character. These are both minor details that don’t make much difference, and are changed in order to avoid lengthy background stories. And let’s be honest, no one likes lengthy background stories.

The novel that this film was inspired by was written in first person, through the eyes of Katniss Everdeen, a young 16-year-old who bravely volunteered herself into the games, in order to save her younger sister. Since Katniss has no communication with anyone outside of the games, giving the producer some room to be creative. While the games are in progress, the producer decides to show the reactions of the citizens, which are unknown in the book. The producer also creates a character named, Seneca Crane, who was only referred to as the “Gamemaker” in the novel. This creation of a character and the omniscient point of view both add to the effectiveness of the film.

“The Hunger Games” has action, romance, and even a few good laughs. If you ask me, I’d say, “Let the seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”