The Hunger Games

chaosof99

The discussion in this thread may contain spoilers for the book and film series. You have been warned.

So I've read the first book and just returned from watching the movie. I will start to read the other book as soon as they arrive at by mail, and as you can tell from that fact I very much enjoyed the first book and movie.

My only criticism of the first book is really that Thresh is in my opinion underused as a character. He only has one true scene and then dies unexpectedly and without any exploration or even the circumstances of his death being explained. I guess this can be explained by the book being told exclusively from Katniss' perspective and that there are things going on during the games that Katniss has no influence or even perception of, but I would have just liked one more scene with Thresh or at least a death scene to provide some closure. The movie also didn't help there despite the movie being told from a neutral perspective, which has both advantages and disadvantages, and probably being stuck inside Katniss' head the entire film wouldn't have gone over with movie audiences too well.

The film was also very good, but I could see how some people could perceive it as confusing or overly long. You have to piece some things together, while they are more or less spelled out in the book. The casting was very good though, and particularly Woody Harrelson is pretty much Haymitch incarnate. Would have liked to see him drop off the stage though. The only other thing I was really missing from the film was the origin of the mutts and revelation about it.

Definitely looking forward to the sequels though.


And then I have a question: So the silent salute consists of holding out your index, middle and ring finger, while your thumb crosses and holds down your pinkie, then kissing the three fingers and turning it to the person you want to salute. Could this in fact be a tribute to the annihilated district 13? The fingers do kind of form the roman numeral XIII.

Churba

And then I have a question: So the silent salute consists of holding out your index, middle and ring finger, while your thumb crosses and holds down your pinkie, then kissing the three fingers and turning it to the person you want to salute. Could this in fact be a tribute to the annihilated district 13? The fingers do kind of form the roman numeral XIII.

Without the kiss, It's pretty much identical to the boy scout half-salute/sign, for what it's worth.

chaosof99

Without the kiss, It's pretty much identical to the boy scout half-salute/sign, for what it's worth.

That is an interesting point I didn't know about, but it isn't entirely correct either. While the Boy Scout sign is performed with the arm in a 90° angle on the side, and the boy scout salute is performed with arm angled to the eye brow like a military salute, the salute in The Hunger Games is performed with an outstretched arm.




Also difference between the movie and the books: The salute is performed with the left arm in the books, and with the right in the film.

Well, the point is this: Maybe this is the Boy Scout sign which, due to lack of schooling or social history, deteriorated in its usage after the catastrophe (similar to how the book spells the name Peter, or the word mutation) and was later re-appropriated by the revolutionaries of District 13. Or perhaps I'm drifting of into fan-fiction.

Churba

I'm sure you're explaining that for everyone else. I'm eighteen years past needing to have that explained.

Amp

One complain I have is that quiver is totally impractical. Only now do I realise how sad that is.