The Hunger Games

     In honor of the new Hunger Games movie coming out, I have rewatched all four of the original films. After taking this class and rewatching the films, I have realized how great the storytelling and cintematography of this film was. I specifically noticed the cinematography in the Mockingjay films with the darker, more washed out lighting and how it really emphasized the life being sucked out of society. I will be talking about this further in another blog posts because I feel like those movies deserve their own post.

    The first film was really important in setting the scene for how society has crumbled and how the wealthy now control the poor with what is known as the annual hunger games. We see the two selected from each district and the absolute turmoil it has on the individuals themselves as well as their loved ones. They are then taken and brought into a lavish world which is polar opposite to the world they currently came from. We see really dynamic acting in the emotions the tributes have towards each other and how the victors feel about sending new people into the games. One thing I will note about these movies, is I have never watched a movie with as many likeable characters as this movie. Even if they are flawed, the acting still makes you like them. 

    

The cinematography in the first movie was really intentional because there was a lot of stillness and close ups on people's faces which helps you see the emotions of the characters and become invested in them. I feel like the camera really emphasized the bright colors that the wealthy people were wearing to help contrast the dullness of the lives of the poor people. The shift really shows that wealthy people could spend whatever money they wanted on these extravagent styles without a care in the world how the other half is suffering. 

I didn't realize the significance or cultural relevance of the movies until I rewatched them and saw how political and economic unrest is handled in society. While it is taken to the extreme in this situation, it can show what happens when there is such a political and economic divide between people. It also shows a severe lack of empathy and essentially treats these people like they're animals in a zoo and their lives are not essential to society.