The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games was much better than it was anticipated to be. I remember I went and saw it with my friends and we were absolutely amazed at how well the film was done. First off, the combination of both Jennifer Lawrence and Donald Sutherland makes for a great pair. Second, the dystopian theme of the rich reveling in having the most advanced technology and wealth whereas the districts surrounding Panem are all in poverty and the poor struggle to survive. This dystopian film gives off the theme that all though the society is advanced in the future in the sense of technology, the traditions, values and morals are still stuck in gladiator times. There was a love story in the film that I didn’t care for because I felt that it somewhat distracted the viewers from the Hunger Games themselves. Although Katniss and Peeta's connection was because of the Hunger Games, the love story was too much of a cliché. I noticed a paralleled theme of the Hunger Games and The Truman show in the sense that humans are watching other humans as a source of entertainment. Granted, in The Truman Show, Jim Carrey is never in any real danger but there is still a very real danger to human beings getting enjoyment out of watching fellow human beings whether they are struggling with real life or they are just struggling to stay alive. I think these films are taking direct shots at reality shows (not the primary intention but still taking shots) because for some reason we enjoy watching shows like Survivor and The Real World. We get drama, comedy and excitement for some reason watching these people. I think it says a lot about human philosophy that actually haven't come that far from our ancestry roots. In the timeline of the world, it wasn't that long ago Roman Gladiators were fighting for their lives in the Roman Coliseum against fellow gladiators or even animals including lions. I think that it’s really sad that as a species and product of nature, we get enjoyment out of the struggle of others, especially when it is a matter of life and death. The Roman Coliseum theme is the primary theme of the film considering the fact that the upper class are the ones who are getting the enjoyment out of watching the poor struggle. It is an age old cliché where the rich get to look down upon those who are less fortunate and enjoy watching them have to struggle while they sit high in their ivory towers. The film portrayed the oldest philosophy of evolution in only the strong will survive. Of course the rich are the strongest but of the poor, only one will live to see another morning and somewhat going against the process of natural selection because it’s not really natural so much as it is a set up for entertainment, something nature would not deem natural.