So if
you’re a massive super-geek like I am, you know that there are only 10 more
days until Catching Fire is in theaters! For those of you who live under a
rock, Catching Fire is the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy, and the
movie adaptation with Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will be out on November
22nd. So whenever a movie is
released that’s based on a book, people are faced with an important, life
altering decision: do you read the book first, or see the movie first? Here’s
my take on the age old question. There are pros and cons to both options. If
you read the book first, you’re able to form your own images of the characters
in your head as well as the setting and see the story through your own eyes
(this theory is slightly flawed though if you’re constantly being bombarded
with trailers of the movie whenever you turn on the television though). By reading
the book first, you interpret the story in your own unique way. If you see the
movie first though, you won’t be prejudiced when you do see the movie. So many
people complain after a book-inspired movie comes out, complaining that the
whole film was ruing because the movie was missing one little part from the
book. Sometimes these people have every
right to be angry because Hollywood butchered their story, but sometimes
reading the book first can make you resentful to slight changes/artistic
liberties the movie takes with the story. In my opinion, I prefer to read the book
first, because I’m inpatient and want to know the story as soon as possible and
get pumped for the movie, and it’s easier to read the book before seeing the
movie often. The point is though, your choice determines your first exposure to
a story and how you interpret the story. Film and literature are different
storytelling methods, and whichever one you choose changes how you see
characters, setting, and the plot.
Keeping on the subject of the
Hunger Games, there was a lot of talk about female heroines when the Hunger
Games came out last year. Many articles have been written about how the Hunger
Games is paving the way for strong female leads in both books and movies. While
I agree the Hunger Games has put strong female characters like Katniss in the
spotlight, this isn’t a new phenomenon. While Hollywood is finally getting on
track and bringing stories with strong female leads to light (Divergent, the
Mortal Instruments, etc.) books have been doing it for years. I could make this
post uber-long and list off all the books with strong female characters, but I
won’t. I could also make a list of books with strong male characters, or strong
animal characters, or strong alien characters. People need to stop focusing on
the gender behind a character and just look at the character’s…well, character.
I feel that gender, race, species, shouldn’t be the defining characteristic
about a character’s story. It can be a quality that grabs your interest in a
story, but ultimately, base your judgment of a character on their story and
personality, not what’s on the outside.
In conclusion, go see Catching
Fire and appreciate Katniss for her intelligence and stubbornness and ninja
skills, not just because she’s a chick with a weapon. Catching Fire comes on November
22nd, and you can bet your bow and arrow that it’ll be awesome—regardless
of if you read the book or see the movie first.
