I am SO excited that Hunger Games is coming to theaters this Friday. Exactly 2 days, 3 hours and 19 minutes (but who’s counting?). Here’s some fun Hunger Games info that will hype you up for the premiere. Check out the Official Movie Trailer here.
After reading the trilogy, I was instantly hooked. Every chapter kept you reading more. The books are written by Suzanne Collins. Her inspiration for writing The Hunger Games was the Greek myth of Theseus, reality TV, and the Iraq war.
Some fun facts about Collins is she’s worked on the writing staff of several Nickelodeon shows including Clarissa Explains It All, and was named one of the most influential people of 2010 by Time Magazine.
But if you haven’t read the books, here’s a little Hunger Games 101. The picture below is a shot of some of the cast members from the movie. Here are the character names from left to right: Clove, Marvel, Foxface, Thresh, Glimmer, Cato, Rue, Peeta, Katniss and Gale. (All of them are sent in the Hunger Games, except Gale).
Here are the main 3 characters:
Katniss Everdeen (middle) is the main character and is the one who’s perspective the books are written from. She volunteers herself in place of her 12-year-old sister, Primrose Everdeen, who is originally selected to fight in the the Hunger Games. Katniss must prove herself in the games by using the bow and arrow skills she’s perfected.
Peeta Mellark (left) is the male tribute for District 12 and is forced to go into the Hunger Games with Katniss. A baker’s son, Peeta doesn’t really have any battle skills, and is forced to take a different approach in the Hunger Games to fight for his survival.
Gale Hawthorne (right) is Katniss’ best friend in District 12. Gale and Katniss hunt for food illegally outside the perimeter of District 12 to provide for their families.
Yes, there is a little love triangle between the main characters, and deciding whether you are Team Gale or Team Peeta may not be an easy task…
Now, one of the great thing about these books is that they’re not centered around the love story. They have a very action-packed plot that takes priority in the story telling.
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, The Capitol of Panem forces each of its 12 districts to select a boy and girl (ages 12- 18) to compete in the Hunger Games. The basic premise of the Hunger Games is is a fight to the death between the 24 teens, with the last survivor named the winner. The whole battle is filmed like a reality TV show for all the districts to watch. Here is a map of Panem below, is relation to North America:
Each district has a specialty. They are listed in the photo below. The main characters are from District 12 (known for mining).
The Capitol is the seat of Panem’s totalitarian government and its chief city. The Capitol is known for its riches and eccentric styles. Very futuristic clothes, hairstyles and architecture.
Key players:
President Coriolanus Snow (seen below) is the leader of all 12 districts and does not like his power challenged. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to keep his power intact and prove to the population of Panem that he is not to be questioned.
Haymitch Abernathy (seen below) is the first and only District 12 Hunger Games champion. He is Katniss’ and Peeta’s District 12 mentor for the Hunger Games, and he’s assigned to train the two for the competition — when he’s not too drunk.
Cinna (seen below) starts as a stylist from The Capitol assigned to Katniss, but soon becomes one of her closest friends and allies.
