Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Hunger Games Training, Day 5

Many people are referring to The Hunger Games as "the next Twilight."  There are so many things wrong with that comparison.

1. I do not know a single male who read all of the Twilight books.  I guess the movie is another story because it's way less of a commitment for a man to get dragged to see a movie instead of deliberately choosing to devote time to reading.  Still, I do know several guys who have read all of The Hunger Games trilogy and loved them!


2. Let's take Twilight for what it is: a love story.  Somewhat terrifying and twisted but a love story nevertheless.  THG is no love story.  Yes, there are some romantic elements, but the focus is elsewhere.  The theme of THG is how young adults cope with violence and war.  You read Twilight and leave pondering whether you'd like to be seduced by a vampire or werewolf.  You read THG and leave contemplating the world's future and the necessity of war.

3. In Twilight, the majority of character development centers around the love triangle.  The reader/audience learns just about everything there is to know about Bella, Edward, and Jacob, yet details about the more minor characters are often omitted.  One of my favorite things about THG is how attached I became to several of the minor characters when reading, including Rue, Cinna, Haymitch, and some of the other tributes.  I'm hoping the movie can achieve this, as well.

Okay, I guess those are the only three major differences that I wanted to point out.  Bottom line is: if you're considering not going to see THG movie because you think it's going to be like Twilight, I wanted you to know that they are two completely different beasts.


They do have one major element in common...
The love triangle.

I was firmly on Team Edward when reading Twilight because they just seemed to be so drawn to one another.  When I saw the movies, however, I quickly flip-flopped because Robert Pattinson just doesn't do it for me.  Anyway, in this case, it's not the typical good guy vs. bad boy debate that we see in THG.  Because, let's be honest: they are both dangerous monsters who could rip Bella to shreds at any moment.  I'd say they both qualify as bad boys.


Peeta vs. Gale is so much harder for me because I was obviously far more invested in THG books while reading them than I was with Twilight.  I found Peeta, the good guy, to be somewhat annoying and clingy at times but so sweet and devoted to Katniss.  Gale's passion for change was inspiring, but I feared that could overshadow his feelings for Katniss.  If I were truly forced to choose, I think I would side with Gale based on the books.  I think my sentiment might change after seeing the movie though.  Josh Hutcherson was so perfectly cast as Peeta, and I think his self-deprecating mannerisms will garner my sympathies.  I also just don't think Liam Hemsworth (Gale) has much of a personality, which will be hard for me to get over.


What do you think?  Is The Hunger Games the next Twilight?  Edward or Jacob?  Peeta or Gale?

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