I took the girls to see the second one with the girls and we really liked it as well as the first one. Worth the money to see it in the theater I thought.
I just finished reading the three books. There is a deeper meaning to what the author S. Collins is trying to say in her books that the movies might have missed. The movies portray a dystopic, futuristic sci-fi movie where the oppressed citizenry are rebelling over the all controlling Dictatorship. But when you read the books you see they are even more about what is happening to the young people caught up in the entire thing and you see the parallels between future "then" and "now".
The citizens of the Capitol have given up any right to govern their own lives, trading it for all the material things they could want. Along with the narcotic effect of "sport" or "games". Could it be "us" she is talking about, pumping up credit cards and watching in fascination on out TVs as the new TV wars show the missiles going right down the chimney chutes to blow up a building full of people? Or the shots of the drones or C-130s wiping out people almost casually? Or even computer war games when you can run up as big a body count as you want. We've become very good at safely portraying entertaining, gratuitous violence.
And the effects on the main characters? As Katniss is turned into a cold blooded killer and the look on her face at the end of "On Fire"? She could just as easily be the faces of our kids when they join the military and are turned into efficient killers. Like mine has, Like I was. Like many of you were.
Look Ive been wearing a uniform since I was 18yo and for sure I think its honorable and its necessary. But there is a price you pay when exposed to that kind of violence. Either as assailant, as victim, or even as just an onlooker. It effects everyone, even a nurse who has to deal with the effects after. Ive seen experienced, seasoned, professionals seize up at, or after, violent encounters. Not even able to talk for a few minutes. Those things stay with you, most of all for the young.
Thats what the author is saying, at least I think she is. These kids we send into war zones will never be the same after and sure as hell we had better have a good reason to do so. The only reason older vets were never treated for PTSD is because nobody had come up with a word for it yet.
The books are fascinating. And more then a little scarey.
