Movie Wednesday: The Hunger Games
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Untold years in the future, the nation of Panem hosts an annual event called the Hunger Games, in which one boy and one girl from 12 Districts between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen as Tributes and forced to compete in a live broadcast death match until only one Victor remains.
Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from the outlying District 12, volunteers for the Hunger Games to save her younger sister from competing. Katniss, along with fellow Tribute Peeta, is taken from her home and family and carted off to the extravagant Capitol where she will have to fight to the death against other children if she hopes to survive and return home.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (featuring the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, which are among our Boomerang titles) was adapted into four films released from 2012 to 2015 to much critical acclaim, becoming one of the biggest film franchises. Touching on issues of family, violence, reality TV culture, consumerism, and political injustice, the Hunger Games films tell a story of human struggle and are a great jumping off point for Big Juicy Conversations.
A note to parents: All four installments in the Hunger Games films are rated PG-13. We recommend looking up the films on sites such as Commonsense Media for detailed lists of content so that you can make an informed decision about whether the films are right for your family.
Discussion Questions
- If someone you cared about was picked for the Hunger Games, would you volunteer in their place like Katniss does for Prim? Explain.
- Why do you think the Capitol has such outrageous fashions and trends? What do you think these things say about the society living in the Capitol?
- The Hunger Games films stay pretty faithful to the books, but if you’ve read the books you may notice some differences. Were there any changes the films made that you didn’t like? Explain your answers.
- In the fictional world of Panem, the Hunger Games are broadcast live and are presented in a manner which is unmistakably similar to the reality TV of our real world. What do you think the story may be trying to say about reality television and pop culture?
- How do you feel about the Hunger Games merchandising and marketing materials since the films are so critical of consumerism and commercialism?
Additional Resources
Hunger Games Book Club ideas from notbefore7
Learn language arts with the Hunger Games and Catching Fire Boomerangs!
The Boomerang is a monthly digital downloadable product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific read aloud novel. It is geared toward 8th to 10th graders (ages 12—advanced, 13-15) and is the indispensable tool for Brave Writer parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.
