The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games was actually a bit of a disappointment. I didn’t get to see this at the cinema because L and Daughter went without me but I wanted to see it, as it sounded like a similar idea to Stephen King's The Running Man. Which was a great book but an awful film. The concept of the Hunger Games was similar but the film was very different, it was probably more like the Truman Show or even Rollerball with its reality TV angle.

Actually the Hunger Games was potentially more evil than the Running Man with its premise of children killing each other to survive for the pleasure of a TV audience in an X Factor meets Big Brother style competition. The problem is it's called the Hunger Games but where’s the hunger? The principle of the book, as I understand it (because I haven't read it), is that kids from the poverty struck 'districts' where they have no food are being forced by an evil regime to fight each for food. The very pleasant on the eye Ms Lawrence doesn't look particularly starved and it's all a bit too nice, like they didn’t want to upset anyone. I would hope that the books are a bit more evil and depressing.

In the end, of course, love or implied love conquers all and Katniss (our Jennifer) survives and wins the games by... well,  not doing very much at all actually. Hiding most of the time which is what I do when I play Laser Quest or Paintball. It’s not very endearing but quite effective.