It’s coming to a theater near you March 23, 2012.
“The second I heard they were making a movie, I followed it on every magazine and website I could find,” said Jessica Gross ’15.
“The Hunger Games” trilogy, consisting of “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire,” and “Mockingjay,” has captivated readers across the Staples community. All of them are told through the eyes of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, the chosen representative of her district, forced to participate in an event where representatives must fight until only the strongest survives.
Fans like Gross have turned to every media source for sneak previews in anticipation of the upcoming movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hutcherson, directed by Gary Ross.
“Basically the only thing that got me through midterms is the movie. I literally watch the trailer every day and look for interviews with the characters,” said Savannah Donahue ’13.
The magnitude of excitement for the release of the movie has stemmed from an obsession steadily created since the release of the first novel by Suzanne Collins in 2008, which held a spot on the New York Times bestseller list for 100 weeks straight.
“I loved the freshness of the idea. The fact that Suzanne Collins was able to write such a gruesome and compelling book fascinated me,” said Gross. “She wasn’t afraid to shock her readers.”
For addicts to the series like Kumi Goto ’12, who feels “emotionally attached” to all the characters, the release of the movie marks months of long awaited anticipation and hype.
“My friends and I have a group on Facebook for The Hunger Games,” said Goto. “In the group we post things we find about ‘The Hunger Games,’ plan on going to the premiere together, and it’s just a fun place to talk about the books.”
Premiere planning is already in motion for the most dedicated. In keeping with the popular trend of attending midnight movie premieres, as many fans have done for the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series, many “Hunger Games” readers plan on purchasing a 12:00 a.m. movie ticket.
“I am 100 percent seeing themidnightpremiere,” said Donahue.
The popularity of the series isn’t restricted to purely leisure. The Myth and Bible Honors class has read the first book as part of their curriculum, much to the enjoyment of many student enthusiasts.
“I loved reading the books in class because our discussions gave me a lot of cool insight into the story,” said Myth and Bible student Isabel Gasway ’13. “The books made me excited about the class because we all looked forward to talking about them and almost everyone read ahead.”
As a special event, the students in the class plan on attending themidnightpremiere for the movie together.
Although Collins has put down her pen and ended the trilogy, popularity has yet to cease. Ryan Moran ’13, a self proclaimed “original Hunger Games fan” has loaned his copies to meet the insatiable needs of those looking to get their hands on the books.
“More people have asked me to borrow the Hunger Games than any other book I own,” he said.
First period on the morning of March 23, expect worn out students, buzzing with post-movie reviews, chugging a cup of coffee on the way to class. To all those attending the premiere, may the odds be ever in your favor.
