Vol. II, No. 28 - February 16, 2012
A likely story
As it readies for its film premiere,
The Hunger Games hits the boards
BY JAN GUNYON
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is the heroine in the first of The Hunger Games trio of movies. (Google images)Like the Harry Potter and Twilight series before it, The Hunger Games is set as a film adaptation. Like the Harry Potter and Twilight series before it, The Hunger Games caters to teens, meaning its sudden popularity in another medium will probably come as a (welcome) surprise to the country’s so-called adult culture. Like the Harry Potter and Twilight series before it, The Hunger Games makes an excellent screen transfer idea amid its epic scope and nod to the cinematic imagination.
Unlike the others, which are driven by otherworldly phenomena, this one imagines a continent’s actual destruction. Its life-and-death struggles are the products of best-laid plans gone awry, governmental crime and the youthful crusade to combat it.
Suzanne Collins’ 2008 novel immediately gained a cult following among young readers. Lionsgate and other producers sat up and took notice.
And now, like the Harry Potter and Twilight series before it, The Hunger Games has already commanded a share of the market it seemed destined for.
The Hunger Games novels have been divided into screenplays, set in an unidentified future time following North America’s destruction. The new country, Panem, features an upper-class Capitol and 12 poorer districts that take marching orders from the Capitol. As punishment for a previous rebellion, each district selects one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death in the Hunger Games each year until only one remains; the winner gets a handsome reward.
District 12, which includes the former Appalachia, is the book’s starting point. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), 16, volunteers for the 74th annual games in place of Primrose, her younger sister. She’ll fight alongside Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a boy who loved Katniss the moment he saw her. They pretend to be madly in love in order to gain favor from the audience—this is important because the viewers are encouraged to send food and medicine to their favorite participants.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) plan their next method of attack.
To describe more would give away too much plot; suffice it to say that the screenplay trilogy (“The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay”) looks at the moral dilemmas facing the Panemians, specifically Katniss’ decision to kill. Big Brother angles find their way into the story, too. Every Panemian is required to watch the games, and authority from the Capitol is absolute.
To filmgoers who like lots of epic with their movies, the idea has the makings of a franchise. To readers who want lots of subtext with their stories, the novel is a perfect match. But The Hunger Games has also charted a new territory before its film debut (March 23) is even a reality.
The story, bless it, is already a board game. WizKids makes it. The goal is to prepare for the games during your time in the Capitol by impressing the gamemakers and sponsors, thus increasing your approval rating. You can win approval ratings each day by taking part in various training stations in an attempting to build alliances, exhibit your skills and compete in special events.
Click here for The Hunger Games trailer.
But beware: Each day is precious and could end before you accomplish everything you plan. The participant with the highest approval rating wins the training days game and secures a significant advantage going into the arena.
I just love it when my favorite film stories come from other media; for me, it’s equally fun when film finds its way into another cultural sphere. A Hunger Games board game is an absolutely perfect fit for the movies and is bound to capture the attention of those invested in Live Action Role Playing (LARP), which involves mock combat and the outlandish costumes and weapons and titles that go with it.
The thing is that, like the Harry Potter and Twilight series before it, The Hunger Games movies will ask you to suspend your disbelief. With the board game, you already have a visual and mental aid.