Hundreds of eager fans are looking forward to March 23—the day the long-awaited movie adaption of The Hunger Games finally releases—including plenty at CHS. The trilogy of books has gained a large following all over the world, and the Gary Ross-directed movie promises to attract even more fans.
Based on the first book by Suzanne Collins, the movie is centered on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: First Class), a young woman living in a dystopian, future North America. The continent is divided into 13 districts, governed by the Capitol, which organizes the annual Hunger Games. Two children from each district, known as the tributes, fight to the death in the Games, which continues until only one survives.
Katniss volunteers to be the tribute for her district in place of her younger sister, Primrose (Willow Shields, In Plain Sight), along with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right), a baker’s son. Mentored by the oft-drunk Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson, The Messenger), Katniss and Peeta face the tributes from the other districts in their attempt to survive till the end, with plenty of plot twists along the way.
Many students expect the movie to live up to the hype of the book; however, they know that that is not always the case.
“Having experienced the Harry Potter fandom, I know that the movie will inevitably be very different from the books,” sophomore Elena Freije said. “I hope that the movie in itself is true to the books and is able to give its own, unique portrayal of the story, but there will be disappointments.”
According to sophomore Ellie Rabinovitz, the directors might have a hard time portraying the movie, since most of it takes place from Katniss’s perspective. Despite that, she believes the movie will still turn out to be good.
“I am looking forward to seeing how they changed the story to fit a movie because not all of what happens fits into the movie on screen,” Rabinovitz said. “I am most excited for the Games section in general, especially seeing Katniss and Peeta’s relationship.”
Many people are also looking forward to seeing the portrayal of the Capitol, as well as the futuristic gadgets that play an important role in how the tributes survive.
“I’m really excited to see how they have rendered the UFOs picking up the dead bodies,” junior Leslie Blalock said. “I am also really excited to see how they will depict the opening ceremony of the Games, when Katniss and Peeta’s clothing is lit on fire.”
Along with the special effects and all the action, students are also eager to see the relationships in the movie grow, and to see how effectively the cast portrays the characters.
“Without watching the movie, you’ve already imagined the book and characters,” freshman Kim Rooney said. “So sometimes, the movie can change that.”
Both Rabinovitz and Freije agree that the cast is, for the most part, true to how they had imagined the characters in the book to be. The movie will be the real test to see whether the cast will live up to the expectations.
Some students have special plans for the movie night as well.
“For the movie release, my friends and I are planning to go to the midnight premiere,” Freije said. “I used to do it when the Harry Potter films came out, and it’s just such a unique and fun experience.”
