The Hunger Games; More Than Just A Franchise.

One thing that I cannot deny about myself is that I over-think, and I read into things more than is needed, so obviously that doesn't always work to my advantage, however it does help with the film course and makes watching films a little more interesting, and my poor little mind went a little crazy with The Hunger Games. There is an abundance of intelligence in the film franchise (haven't read the book collection yet, don't shoot me) with some films I'm able to relax and say to my mind "fancy just chilling and watching and not reading into everything?" to which it occasionally goes "alright then mate, go on then, why not?!" (apparently it's a geezer...) but The Hunger Games, nah don't think so. EVERYTHING about it is brilliant, it's one of those films that if I went into my second year and found out I was studying it and had to write an essay about it, I'd go back to my bedroom and never stop writing. I mean there's almost too much, is that possible? Narrowing it down to The Capitol and The Districts, as this is probably the best thing of all; the representation of these two communities and their relationship makes me happier than it probably should. You get the total and utter dilapidation of the districts and the dark monotone voices and colours of the district completely contrasted with the outrageously bright colours and charisma of The Capitol, especially when Effie first enters district twelve I mean she looks, no doubt intentionally, ridiculous and overbearing. Entering The Capitol aswell, is astounding, to come from such a down trodden area into a more futuristic and privileged place; it clearly has something to say about the current society that we live in, all films have some sort of realistic commentary to it, this satirises greed and humans ability to take pleasure from peoples pain (The actual Hunger Games). The absolute ecstasy of The Capitol and the audience that watch The Hunger Games in joy and excitement is really quite disturbing but it does question ourselves, it's as if The Capitol represents the unconscious part of our minds, the part that secretly is interested by things like that. The very fact we watch The Hunger Games, which is full of violence and violent subjects shows that we have a curiosity to the macabre, we pay money to see it and to enjoy it. Nevertheless The Capitol is somewhat substantially worse than we are, no doubt but its clear that those in The Capitol are not meant to be seen as serious beings, apart from when Effie starts to change in Catching Fire, when the audience begin to see the wrong in the games and when it matters, they are meant to be ridiculed by us, to be seen as something overtly ... frustrating? This is only an informal blog so I wont go too much more into it but if any of you have seen posters or adverts and compared it to something like Twilight, thinking "oh its just another teenage craze that's probably not all that good" Well, its far from just a teenage craze, personally I would say it appeals to all ages and all varieties of people, its fascinating and captivating, no matter who watches it. Watch it or if you've already watched it. Watch it again. One last thing, a key line in Catching Fire is "Remember who the enemy is" which I absolutely love, you can apply this to nearly every situation you're in, sometimes your brain gets a little confused, and you find yourself questioning others, that have always and always will care for you and you just need to step back and say "who is the true enemy here?. Equally, if you are trying to chase the dreams, remember the enemy is the block, its the non-believers, the trajectory and eventual finish of a goal is inevitable, you want it to happen, you chase it enough, it will happen. Remember who the enemy is and live your life, not avoiding them but instead hold them at the same significance as the best of your friends and family, because those who will support must always be remembered but those who will not and will try to stop you are just as significant, so you can learn to ignore them, to use them as fuel to do exactly what they tell you you cant. The Hunger Games is more than just a franchise, and your life is more than just what is given to you from birth, it is what you give yourself, what you create for yourself.