March 28, 2012
By Madilyn Newsome | Ranger Reporter
AFTER MONTHS of anticipation, The Hunger Games finally is upon us.
Suzanne Collins, author of the best-selling novel, has been making a mark in the minds of many readers since it first was published in September 2008. The novel is expected to become the latest young adult book series-made-movie to hit it big and make a killing at box offices worldwide.
The books have sold more than 23.5 million copies in the United States alone and have spent more than 160 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list.
The Hunger Games opened in theaters Friday. According to The Washington Post, the movie pulled in almost $155 million on opening weekend, significantly more than the $90 million experts predicted.
According to Box Office Mojo, The Hunger Games had the fifth highest opening ever, falling behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two and the Twilight movies.
The plot of The Hunger Games tells the classic story of good versus evil with a bit of a twist.
Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl who arguably is an underdog, volunteers herself to become a participant in an organized battle to the death.
The event consists of 24 competitors, known as tributes. The tributes battle viciously for the amusement of the glamorous Capitol, who uses the games as a reminder to the 12 districts that the Capitol is in power.
The fight is televised for the entertainment of the masses. The general audience cheers on its favored challengers while some watch their loved ones cry out in horrific pain while fighting for their lives.
The strong, courageous heroine Katniss and her smart, sassy, flaming attitude quickly catch your attention.
Not only does she win over readers and viewers, but also the crowd she is “performing” for in the story.
Katniss has a deep and true devotion to her younger sister Primrose, which steals your heart.
The story will throw your emotions and mind to places they haven’t been before. It is a colorful and entertaining story that you find yourself wrapped up in. You feel for the characters, and you live the moments with them.
Collins has an uncanny, eerie ability to tie in the happenings of today’s world in a futuristic setting.
The book makes the reader, in an unsettling way, aware of those worldly battles of the poor and rich and the haves and the have-nots. It will frighten, repulse and alarm you, but Collins has a way of making you want to keep coming back for more.
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