LDS Geeks Podcast #41: Sunrise on the Reaping

I thought the next recording Russell and I did would be our first installment in our Animorphs re-read. Instead, we were both enthralled by the latest Hunger Games book. Check it out!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 41 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Introductions
01:17 - Russell's Recommendation: "Nobody" by Casting Crowns
        Listen on YouTube
03:01 - Spencer's Recommendation: The Chronicles of Narnia audiobook
04:27 - Sunrise on the Reaping
        LDS Geeks Podcast #23: The 50th Hunger Games
        Show Notes: click here
        Spotify: click here
        Apple Podcasts: click here
        YouTube: click here
05:16 - Familiar characters
09:02 - Changing attitudes in the Capitol
10:45 - Aging of our characters
11:47 - Connecting to Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
13:50 - The fate of Lucy Gray Baird
15:04 - The book's twists and themes
17:29 - Framing the book
21:33 - The upcoming movie

LDS Geeks Podcast #23: The 50th Hunger Games

Back in June, Suzanne Collins announced another Hunger Games prequel book, Sunrise on the Reaping. This book (and the subsequent movie adaptation) will focus on the 50th Hunger Games (aka Second Quarter Quell). From the narrative in the Catching Fire book we know much about these games already. So Russell and I got together to discuss it.

 --Spencer

Remember Who the Real Enemy Is

(Guest post by Russell)

I recently thought about one of the riveting closing scenes from the second Hunger Games book and movie, Catching Fire. Katniss has her bow and arrow trained on Finnick Odair and is contemplating shooting him when Finnick, sensing more than seeing Katniss, cries out, “Remember who the real enemy is.” This phrase causes Katniss to shoot out the arena sensor instead of shooting Finnick as she remembers that her real fight is with the Capitol, not with Finnick. This phrase about who the real enemy is triggered a host of thoughts regarding something I struggle with frequently, namely comparing myself to others. I want to share some thoughts about comparisons that have come to me as I have heard others speak on the topic.

I listened to a BYU devotional the other day titled, “Finding Direction in Uncertainty.” The speaker, Mary Davis, PhD, is a professor of microbiology and molecular biology. One of the things that stood out to me most about her talk was her image of what the covenant path looks like to her. Instead of a straight path that leads from point A to point B, she imagined Heaven being at the top of a mountain. There are a number of paths that can be taken to get to the top of a mountain. Some have a steep slope to get there. Others are rocky and require technical skills to ascend. Still others may have many trees in the way or may take you through a bear’s cave or bee’s nest. The takeaway for me was that there are many paths that lead back to our Father in Heaven and it does no good to compare my path to that of someone else. What may look like a smooth, gradual ascent for someone else may in fact be steep and rocky elsewhere along the way. Dr. Davis emphasized that the important thing is being on the path, not where you are. 

This reminded me of Elder Gilbert’s general conference address, “Becoming More in Christ: The Parable of the Slope,” where Elder Gilbert talks about our direction along the path being more important than where we started. I also thought about another BYU devotional titled, “Wrestling with Comparisons,” wherein J.B. Haws, a religion professor, talks about the crucible of comparison. He quotes Elder Holland who said, “[God] doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other.” I find this counsel to be very comforting as I tend to compare myself to others in pretty much every possible way, from looks to grades to money to testimony. The fact that the race is against sin is supremely comforting to me. An old saying is, “comparison is the thief of joy,” and I have found that to be true. I also remember a saying that was in my parents’ house when I was growing up that essentially said never to compare yourself to others for it will either lead to discouragement or pride.

My wife had a great insight regarding comparisons and their frequent occurrence in our lives. There will always be comparisons, but those comparisons do not have to be competitive in nature. I can make observations about how I measure against others without propping myself up or tearing myself down with the comparisons that I make. I can observe that I am taller than another person, but that does not mean I am better. Similarly, I can observe that I run slower than someone else, but I do not need to be discouraged by that. I have developed the saying, “Don’t compare to compete,” which has been helpful for me in my journey to realize that I am fighting sin, not my fellow travelers in this mortal life. So, the next time you are tempted to aim your figurative bow and arrow at the “Finnick Odair” next to you in whatever endeavor you find yourself in, “remember who the real enemy is.” Hint: it's not the person next to you.

Friday Creature Feature - Mockingjay

“A mockingjay's a bona fide bird."

"And it sings in your show?"

"Not my show, sweetheart. Yours. The Capitol's anyway."

―Lucy Gray Baird and Coriolanus Snow

This year we’ll have the first Hunger Games movie in eight years. The new book, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is set to have its movie released in November. Last year, I wrote about the story’s depiction of Coriolanus Snow and his descent into villainy. But before we see Coryo on the big screen, I wanted to spotlight one of the unique creatures of Panem: the mockingjay.

To refresh your memory, here’s a brief Panem history lesson. During the Rebellion, the Capitol started creating mutts for their war against the Districts. One of them was the jabberjay, which was capable of recording and repeating human speech. Kind of a covert reconnaissance drone to spy on the Districts. However, the Districts figured this out and used the jabberjays to feed false information.

When the Capitol realized the deception, the jabberjays were released into the wild to die off. But… They started mating with mockingbirds to create the mockingjay species. A slap in the face of the Capitol. While the mockingjay species couldn’t parrot human words like the daddy jabberjay (all jabberjays were male to avoid breeding… we see how well that worked out), the mockingjay could still copy tunes sung, whistled, or played. 

Chronologically, the first time we see the jabberjays and mockingjays is when Coryo was a peacekeeper in District 12. Even as a young adult, he hated the mockingjays, as they already represented a sense of rebellion towards the Capitol. He and the other recruits were tasked at times to hunt and kill the jabberjays and mockingjays, as a form of pest control and target practice. Some were sent back to the Capitol for study, but that was only a small sampling.

By the seventh decade after the Dark Days, the residents of District 11 used the mockingjays in their orchards to help signal the end of the work day. Rue, a tribute from the 74th Hunger Games, told Katniss that she would use a four-note tune to send word from the top of the trees down to let everyone know it was time to go home (much quicker that way). This trick also became a signal for Katniss and Rue during their time as allies to indicate safety. 

But before Katniss entered the arena for the 74th Hunger Games, she was given her famous mockingjay pin by Madge Undersee. This mockingjay pin became her token in the arena and it was the reason Rue decided to trust her and become allies. It was also the mockingjays who sang Rue to sleep as she died, after copying Katniss’s tune of “Deep in the Meadow."

After Katniss and Peeta won the 74th Hunger Games, the symbol of the mockingjay became fashionable in the Capitol. During their victory tour, Katniss saw it in jewelry, tattoos, and more. For Capitol citizens, they were just excited to wear the victor’s token. However, for the rebels it was a very different symbol. A symbol of rebellion. For example, Bonnie and Twill, who were found by Katniss outside District 12, had a flat piece of bread with the image of a mockingjay to demonstrate their allegiance.

When the Quarter Quell came around, bringing Katniss and Peeta back into the arena, Effie had the idea of matching tokens for their team. Ultimately, Peeta was given a medallion with the mockingjay as his token and Haymitch got a golden bangle. His bangle was ultimately given to Finnick to prove his allegiance to Katniss in the arena. 

After the abrupt ending of the Quarter Quell, District 13 and the rebels wanted to make Katniss their symbol, their mockingjay, to rally the districts together against the Capitol. Cinna even made Katniss’s wedding dress change into one like a mockingjay during her Quarter Quell interview. If that’s not a slap in President Snow’s face, I don’t know what is. But it paved the way for Katniss to inspire the districts into revolting and for the creation of a new Panem.

For now, I’ll close where I began, with Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Specifically, a quote from Lucy Gray: "The show is not over until the mockingjay sings."

The Anti-Redemption Story of President Snow

We have so many wonderful redemption arcs in fiction: Zuko, Edmund, Regina, etc. We even have lots of stories like this in scripture with Paul, Alma, Zeezrom, and more. What we don’t see a lot of is corruption arcs, like Lex or Anakin (though we did recently read the downfall of King Saul in Come Follow Me). The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes details the story of young Coriolanus Snow, as he becomes a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games and grows to love his District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. But ultimately it depicts the corruption and downfall of Snow.

I don’t know what I expected when I heard the Hunger Games prequel would be about President Snow and his experience mentoring a girl from District 12. I mean we knew from the Hunger Games trilogy that Coriolanus Snow would grow up to become a ruthless, cold dictator. So I didn’t know how Collins could write his character in a way that I might relate to and root for him, all the time knowing what kind of man he’d become.

At first I almost felt sorry for this pathetic Capitol boy. Growing up during Panem’s civil war, his family lost almost everything; all he had was his status in the Snow family. He didn’t know any better than what his bigoted parents and grandmother had taught him. However, even once he started to learn and feel compassion for Lucy Gray, Sejanus, and the Covey, he still held onto his superior air that kept telling him he was better than any District citizen. Heck, the only reason he fell for Lucy Gray initially was because he convinced himself that she wasn’t really “district”.

As the Hunger Games began, Coriolanus was only concerned with having the winning tribute to promote his family’s status again. But as the Games progressed and his relationships with Sejanus and Lucy Gray became more involved and complex, his demeanor towards the Capitol and the Games seemed to shift and become more humane. He even helped Lucy Gray cheat to win the Hunger Games, because he cared for her so much. 

Honestly, by the time he became a Peacekeeper, I thought somehow his heart was softening. I kept wondering when things were going to go south (because we knew what kind of person he would become for the Hunger Games trilogy). Even after he betrayed friends and killed, I thought there might be a flicker of hope left in him. I kept expecting Lucy Gray to betray him or for someone to double cross him, prompting his downward spiral. But no… it wasn’t a big explosion or betrayal… It was his hubris catching up with him. Even before he knew that Lucy Gray had figured out his misdeeds, he planned on abandoning her for a fancier life of status and prestige. 

In the end, that’s what made this book enjoyable for me… I knew that our protagonist would eventually become a ruthless dictator, but Suzanne Collins still got me wanting him to win and to succeed. It made it all the more heartbreaking when the inevitable happened. Pride overtook young Coryo and his craving for attention and status. Instead of clinging to his love for Lucy Gray, he sought self-interest and comfort. I knew it was coming, but it happened anyway. It makes the whole story even more tragic. A cautionary tale about what pride can do to us. If Coriolanus had embraced his new life and love, maybe he wouldn’t have ended up poisoned and assassinated in Mockingjay. 

Peeta is no Girlfirend

Minor Spoilers Ahead for Catching Fire/Hunger Games

Catching Fire came out last week.  It's great.  I loved it.  I'm not here to review the movie unless you count the first three sentences of this blog post minus the spoilers disclaimer.  What, or I should say is who, I want to talk about is Peeta.

Peeta is the leading male role in the Hunger Games.  He's picked at the reaping for the 74th and then volunteers for the 75th Quarter Quell.  (They take the pool of tributes from existing victors.)  Peeta has genuine feelings for Katniss though she only allows herself to be more or less indifferent to the boy.  Their romance is only to help them get sponsors for the games.

My roommate and I were talking about how Peeta is more or less the perfect boyfriend.  Katniss really lucked out by having to be stuck with this guy for the rest of her life because if she wasn't, her actions in her first Hunger Games would have been seen as a revolution.  Then, the Capitol would be in trouble and kill all of Peeta's and Katniss' families.  I mean, Peeta gives Katniss a locket of her mother, sister, and Gale. (His competition.)  Peeta does so much for Katniss because he loves her despite the fact that she only lets him in emotionally in small amounts and never returns his affection.

I mean, dang, what is Katniss' problem?  What more could she possibly ask for?

The other day I read this post on NPR that called Peeta Katniss' girlfriend.  They're totally right too.  Katniss is more like a knight in shining armor than she is a damsel in distress.  Katniss is cynical with a watchdog mentality.  She is emotionally detached from killing and does what she needs to in order to survive.  Gale is the stereotypically more manly of her two suitors.  Gale even kisses Katniss just because he feels he had to.  Peeta is often the one needing to be saved in the Arena.  He's also an artist and bakes bread.  (Contemporarily speaking, effeminate jobs.)  So yeah, Peeta is the perfect boyfriend and also the contemporary movie girlfriend.  Weird.

So why does a masculinist like me love Peeta?  Why do I like this guy that does not reinforce traditional gender roles?  Shouldn't I, an avid proponent of masculinity, hate this guy?

No, a character like Peeta is exactly what I think men and boys need to see.

Peeta may be rescued by his girlfriend but he's still a hero in the comfort he gives her. That's a man to me!

Peeta is actually quite masculine.  He's not masculine in our contemporary understanding of masculinity.  He's masculine in the archaic understanding of masculinity.  Peeta is masculine because of his virtues.  He's patient.  He's hard working.  He's loving.  He isn't stoic and expresses his emotions but at the same time doesn't let them control him.  The said cannot be same of Katniss.  Though Katniss is Peeta's superior when it comes to combat (when she has a bow) and survival skills, Peeta has an emotional resiliency and initiative that Katniss does not have.

It seems from about the 1960s that boys have been taught to not cry and to not show emotion.  Somehow, culinary and visual arts were also labelled as effeminate.  I remember in elementary school that I was teased for being artistic which was seen as girly by my peers.  This would be after class when learning that in Michelangelo's time, all artists were male.  Were they even paying attention?  Peeta may not be the sports guy.  He may have a great build and can throw a huge weight and then be rescued by his girl from time to time.  That doesn't make him weak or effeminate.  (And effeminacy is definitely not weakness.)  To me, it's obvious that Peeta is masculine in what masculinity really is.

We need more Peetas in the world.  Peeta would have never written a sexist blog post I read a week ago that argued that skinny women with eating disorders made great girlfriends.  (I will not link you to the blog because they don't deserve the pageviews.)  This blog post reinforced objectification of women and shallowness in attraction.  It furthered stereotypes of men being cheap, shallow, arrogant, and unintelligent.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  The rest of the blog just finished a "fat shaming" week in which they posted hurtful posts pointed towards overweight women.  (They didn't even focus their attention on overweight guys.  The irony.)  They called anyone that went against them fat-enablers.

Is obesity a problem in the United States?  Yes.  (My opinion on obesity for another day.)  Is shaming overweight people the answer?  No!

Shaming has NEVER been the answer.  Peeta never shames Katniss for being emotionally shut off.  He expresses how he feels and asks to at least be friends but he never shames her for being a bit of an ice queen.  The sad thing is that there are guys out there who cling to hatred, objectification, and prejudice of women as what masculinity is when women don't even come into the definition of what being a man is.  (Though will often be a reflection of it.)  They cling to shallow ideas of masculinity like multiple sexual conquests, athletic performance, beer consumption, and beard length.  They may not even necessarily be bad things but shallow and untrue ideas.

One of the manliest guys I knew was a district leader in my mission named Elder Hyde.  Elder Hyde was so cool.  He had a scar that went over his head from extreme water sports.  He hunted, rode bike, and did crazy things.  Elder Hyde had a sense of wildness about him that could only be admired.  All that was cool but that wasn't what made him a man. For the last district meeting he bore his testimony.  He said in tears, "Elders.  Being a man isn't about doing crazy stuff or macking with girls.  It's about the testimony and love that you have of the savior."  His words stuck with me ever since because I realized how manly I am like I hadn't before.

Beowulf, Captain Kirk, Wolverine, and Batman are manly characters, for sure.  These characters aren't bad at all.  (Well, they have character flaws like anyone.  Depending on which story you read they can vary in scale of manliness.)  The reason why characters like Peeta and Simon Tam from Firefly are great is that they show you don't need to be a cigar chomping, emotionally constipated anti-hero, in order to be a man.

-Stephen

Top ten best villain songs

It’s about time we had a little bit of Halloween around here, and one thing that’s become intertwined with Halloween is villains.

Yeah, that’s a strong enough premise to do this.

As usual, I can’t be asked to do this in order, so here’s my top ten best villain songs in no particular order.

10: Be Prepared from The Lion King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08-uyfp2iPM

Scar singing about killing kings and making hyenas goose step is one of the best parts of the Lion King. Also, is Scar Earthbending?

9: Oogie Boogie’s song from Nightmare before Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw0aoVpFCDw

It’s the Boogie Man saying that he’s going to torture or eat Santa Clause. He’s not exactly clear on what he’s going to do to St. Nicholas, but it will be bad.

8: Brand New Day from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILObfEzX92k

This show is the ultimate revenge fantasy for anyone who was a picked on nerd by a chisled jock. Here the evil Doctor has decided that his archenemy has to die by his hand, thus ensuring his entrance into the Evil League of Evil.

7: What you feel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2vihYpsE1Y

A demon has put a curse on Sunnyvale which makes everyone sing- and he wants Dawn! Of course Whedon is going to show up multiple times on this list, between him and Disney they make the best villain songs.

6: Ruler and the Killer from The Hunger Games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IggTtq8hpzQ

Not a song from the movie, this song was written in tribute to The Hunger Games’s evil government. The song is dark and has a great beat, and shows the overwhelming feeling Katness feels as tribute.

5: Hellfire from Hunchback of Notre Dame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NoDEu7kpg

One of Disney’s least liked but probably one of its best made films has this compelling song about temptation and of all things Hell. It’s great animation with great writing.

4: The Imperial March from Star Wars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8

Let’s face it: Whenever you hear this one you get chills. It’s the perfect tune for this Sith Lord to go marching around to.

3: Gollum’s Song from Lord of the Rings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkXbzffVl44

Another tribute song off the soundtrack, this song emphasizes the pain Gollum goes through. It’s a fantastic little ditty that shows the true tragedy of a great character.

2: Mother Knows Best from Tangled

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi8kYcl2Y38

Mother Gothel is one of Disney’s best villains. Not only is she evil, but she is just such a mom. Her song is the best mom guilt song ever.

1: Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyFVG4VfPmg

Okay this one is an exception to my rule: This song in my opinion is my favorite and probably the best villain song. Where it gets its high marks from me is the fact that this song isn’t just singing about the character’s tragedy or that they’re evil, but the song is Ursula manipulating Ariel to take her deal. Thus this song is Ursula doing evil.

Oh, Halloween…

-JOE

What Makes Archery So Cool?

I’ve noticed an interesting trend this year in movies. It seems that in a few of the big blockbusters they’ve had an archer running around shooting arrows into things, namely Katness Everdeen from Hunger Games, Hawkeye from Avengers and Princess Merida from Brave. Speaking as an archer myself, I want to delve a bit into why this ancient activity looks so cool on screen, and why we squeal every time we see a bow drawn.

First off, unlike guns and knives, archery requires skill to bring someone down. Say what you will, but a child can’t pick up daddy’s bow and hurt too many people. This comes up a bit in Hunger Games when one of the tributes tries firing at Katness with no luck, but this is especially illustrated in Brave during the suitor competition (This isn’t a spoiler, since this whole scene was a trailer for the film. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EZULqhP2E&feature=relmfu). The suitors, despite being “mighty warriors”, can’t get a bullseye to save their lives, and the one guy who does almost does it by accident. Princess Merida then shows up, spouts I think everyone’s favorite line from that movie “I’ll be shooting for me own hand!”, rips her dress, and systematically schools each suitor. She goes so far as to split the one bullseye’s shot in half with her own arrow! It’s a cool scene, and shows how bad to the bone she is, despite being a princess. I want to see Belle or Aurora try that!

Second, arrows are so much more useful than bullets. A bullet is good for putting holes in stuff. That’s it. Hawkeye and his fancy quiver (For those who don’t know, a quiver is where one stores arrows) could do repelling lines, smoke bombs, explosives, and a bunch of other little gadgets handy to get across long distances. And need we forget Legolas in Fellowship of the Ring, where he actually stabbed a charging Uruk Hai with an arrow in his hand before notching it and taking down another. It’s pretty tricky to take out two opponents with one bullet.

Third and final argument: A fully drawn bow just looks so chill. Anyone can pick up a gun, but not everyone can look cool doing it, but when an  archer has sights set on a target, it’s over. Game over man. Even wusses like Young Link, or people who normally aren’t supposed to look dangerous like Inara look scary with a bow. Even though it was a needless cameo and he didn’t do anything, most people remember Hawkeye’s debut in Thor just because someone was willing to shoot the God of Thunder with an arrow. And let’s be honest here, if it wasn’t for the bow, would it be just impossible to tell the difference between Arwen and Legolas?

Archery is a great hobby to take up, and even though I haven’t loosed an arrow in years, I still think fondly of when I did. It’s a skill that takes an afternoon to learn and a lifetime to master and is so worth it, because when you’re standing with a full draw on your target, for just an instant you feel like you can take on the world.

Then you let go, miss the target, swear, and try again.

-JOE

Mormons and Dystopian

What do the following have in common: Partials by Dan Wells, Possession by Elana Johnson, Matched by Ally Condie, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and Variant by Robison Wells? If you need a hint the answer is in the blog title. I will also add The Alliance by Gerald Lund to this list.

Let me do my best to define "dystopian". So, I'm not sure why this word is so difficult to define. I heard that there was a panel at LTUE last year that discussed this. (For those that don't know, LTUE is an annual conference in February. For more info, go to LTUE.org.) The funny thing is, the panelists had to agree to disagree on the definition of dystopian.

According to dictionary.com, dystopian is defined as "a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding."

Well, I think there's an error in this definition (guess that goes back to "agree to disagree" again.) But I think the conjunction here is "or" not "and". (Did you just start singing "conjunction junction, what's your function?" I did.) My reasoning against the "and" is that not all dystopias remind me of China and India.

In Gerald Lund's The Alliance, there isn't any overcrowding that's being fought. Nor is there disease (except for pride, which is a whole different type of malady). But most certainly there's a society that is all about controlling others.

Here's what I believe people are missing from this definition that is blatantly obvious to me. Nowhere is the term "post-apocalyptic" in existence in the definition. Partials, Possession, Matched, The Maze Runner, and The Alliance are all post-apocalyptic societies. Variant is not, however, it's still dystopian.

See, it's easy (well, at the base of world-building) for an author to say "The world as we know it is gone and now it's controlled by complete idiots." In Rob Wells' Variant, the world is normal. Nothing is obviously different. But his main character's world is not normal as he enters this secret school without any teachers. There is a control factor over this school's society. And there are other things that I could say, but that'd give away a key plot twist.

Something that's more fascinating is to look at why so many books in this genre are by LDS authors. Something that I find fascinating is how some of these books apply Christian and/or LDS principles into their story (whether or not they realize it.) Possession, Matched, The Maze Runner, Variant and The Alliance all have pieces of free will being attacked. There are various versions of "stand up for truth" and "believe" in them as well.

Now, "dystopian" wasn't that popular a few years ago. You had things like 1984 and Mad Max. Waterworld also fit dystopian in a way.

Just like Harry Potter made Young Adult - fantasy a relevant genre, The Hunger Games helped make Young Adult - dystopian what it is today. There are many dystopian novels out there, and their popularity rose in part to the Hunger Games. Even if they're not as popular as Suzanne Collins, James Dashner and Ally Condie have been on the NYT bestseller lists. Dan Wells, Rob Wells, and Elana Johnson all have national contracts. And Gerald Lund is one of the most popular classic LDS authors there is.

Well, that's it from me. I could delve more into this subject, but I don't want to bore the heck out of ya.

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• "Hunger Games Finds Its Mark" by Stephen

Hunger Games Finds Its Mark

Ah, the Hunger Games.  I remember when I read the first book I stayed up until 4 in the morning to read it.  Now I'm staying up late to express my own opinion on the film adaption before it is altered by another's point of view.  Keep in mind that no movie will ever match my vision of the book--unless I had all the money in the world and was directing it.  This review will look at this film and try not to compare it to experience of reading the book.

For those of you unfamiliar with the book and movie, the story is about a future world where a new country has formed from the United States known as Panem.  Panem once comprised of 13 different districts.  These 13 different districts caused a civil war.  District 13 was destroyed and the Capitol of Panem initiated the 1st annual Hunger Games as a way to control the districts and stop them from thinking of rebellion.  Each district sends one boy and one girl tribute to compete in the Hunger Games--a fight to the death.  The story centers on Katniss Everdeen of District 12 who has volunteered as tribute to save her sister from the reaping--lottery to determine tributes.  Katniss must quickly learn to survive before she even enters the arena for the Hunger Games.  The movie opens with a brief commentary on the Hunger Games from the character Caesar Flickerman before going right into Katniss' story.  

The film editing throughout the film is quick and has a strong sense of realism.  This works excellently for the story of the film.  It quickly builds the tension of knowing that these 12 to 18 year old kids will be forced to kill one another in an arena.  

The violence is also realistic while remaining appropriate for it's PG-13 rating.  What is great about the depiction of the violence is that it isn't action packed.   A big theme of the story is how we as a culture glorify violence.  Here, it has such a strong sense of realism and steps away from being entertaining that the message really hits home.

The content is definitely PG-13 and meant to disturb.  In addition to the violence, there are a few minor swear words in the movie.  I wouldn't take anyone younger then 12 to see this movie.

The acting in this movie is spot on.  The cast steps into their characters wonderfully.  Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss.  She looks and plays the part perfectly.  Really, everyone here did a great job.  Even newcomer, Lenny Kravitz, has good chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence and is believable in his compassion for Katniss.

I do feel like the relationship of the characters weren't given quite enough screen time.  Katniss' relationship to Peeta is supposed to be complicated but it was difficult to see her feelings for him.  Granted, she isn't supposed to know how she feels about him for most of the story.  Despite that, I really feel like the chemistry between her and Peeta could have been a little better.

Overall, I found the movie to be a solid adaption and faithful the spirit of the book.  Whether you're a fan of the book or not, I would definitely recommend Hunger Games.

Consensus: The Hunger Games is a taut story of survival.  Though it could benefit with better relationship development it's central message hits home to the viewer. B

-Stephen