The Hunger Games give Hope

Yesterday Mike and I went to the cinema to see The Hunger Games.  It's not often we get the opportunity to get to the cinema any more so normally there's lots of toing and froing about what we'll watch; but this time there was no question.

Mike loves Running Man (film from 1987) and had heard The Hunger Games was a similar film.  I just knew I had to see this film which everyone's talking about and which filled me with horror.

II's hard to say much about the film without completely spoiling it for you so I'll just repeat what everyone's already heard.

The setting is a bleak post-apocalyptic future world where the central government controls its outlying population through domination and starvation and slavery and, most horrifying of all, an annual reality show featuring young people chosen from the land's various outlying districts. The young people, ages 12 to 18, are forced to fight one another to the death, for the sport of the Capitol's citizens and to remind the districts how completely they are at the mercy of their rulers.

The main character of the film is Katniss Everdeen who volunteers for the games in place of her younger sister.  We know she's a hunter and completely connected to nature.  We know she dreams of better and has hope for a future.  It is this hope which runs through the film.

There is horror and shock in this film; I cried, gasped, jumped and cowered during it; but mostly there is a hope that shines through it all.

A hope for life, a hope for love, a hope for freedom, a hope for equality and a hope for humanity.

This is why it's worth watching and that's why I'm now going to read the books.  Because hope matters and can drive us to change our world for the better - something we can all do with being reminded of.