The Hunger Games Premiere

For Scarsdale teens and tweens, the 12:00 am premier of the movie The Hunger Games on Thursday night March 22 was a big event. Greenacres’ mom Leslie Rainer decided to let her daughter Kelli and friends attend and stay up until 3 am to see the movie. Here is her account of the big night and below that find some comments on the film from Clara Enders, a sixth grader at the Scarsdale Middle School.

(From Leslie) From the moment we arrived in the parking lot at City Center, teenagers were surrounding us saying enthusiastically "Happy Hunger Games." Throughout the course of the evening, I came to realize that "Happy Hunger Games" is essentially the new hello greeting. Quotes from the movie were used repeatedly among this teenage, cult following. "May the odds be ever in your favor" and "let the games begin" were among the commonly used expressions. My group of tweens was as excited, if not more, than the older teenage following. The movie itself did not disappoint. It was exciting, scary and captivating. The cast is phenomenal with Donald Sutherland as the evil Mr. Snow, Elizabeth Banks as the freaky looking, cheery Effie Trinket and Woody Harrelson playing drunken Haymitch. The best part was watching the adorable Liam Hensworth playing Gale. We all just wished he had a bigger role!

We purchased the tickets online over a month ago, the second they went on sale. Kelli was checking every day so she did

Kelli Rainer, Sophie Weingrad, Maisie Suzman

It was an unbelievable experience, one which the girls will remember for years to come. I heard one of them say "this was the best day of my life."

And for those who are wondering if the film is appropriate for younger children, here are some thoughts from Clare Enders, a sixth grader at Scarsdale Middle School.

Exactly 142 days ago I discovered The Hunger Games movie website. Ever since, I’ve been counting down the days until the premiere. Imagine how excited I was when my mom got us passes to see it early, this past Monday night! I was extremely excited to see how my favorite book would be as a movie.

For those of you unfamiliar with the book series, it follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the futuristic civilization of Panem. Every year in reminder of the rebellion against the Capitol, two boys and two girls from each territory (district) are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, a battle to the death. There are 12 districts, so there are 24 children in total. The winner is showered in money, better food, and nice housing arrangements, but not without the gory images of fellow contestants dying.

The books gathered a major following, and spent more than 180 consecutive weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list. Since the series has so many fans, it is important that the characters look in the movie as they are described in the books. I think the actors and actresses looked as I imagined them, with just some small differences. In particular, Foxface (Jacqueline Emerson) and Katniss (Jenifer Lawrence) looked exactly as I expected.

One of the major factors that helped tie the movie together was the spot-on acting and the amazing attention to detail. All of the actors in the movie must have read the book, because they portrayed the same personalities as the characters in the book. The words they said really came from the heart, and didn’t sound as though they came from some piece of paper. I found myself absolutely bawling when young District 11 contestant Rue (Amandla Stenberg) dies, because it was just so believable. The thoughtful attention to detail was a main reason this scene worked so well: the wildflowers, the lullaby, the spear; all were things from the book. This may be one of my favorite scenes I have ever seen in any movie.

Violence could be a large worry for the parents whose children want to see the movie. My sense was that there is less blood and violence in the movie than there was in the book. I had read the book, so I was able to anticipate what would happen next. There will be blood. There will be dead bodies. Some may see it as just disgusting, but it is just part of the essence that makes The Hunger Games The Hunger Games. The movie is probably too intense for a child younger than grade four.

Overall, I think the movie really captured the spirit of the book. Sure, it’s 142 minutes (two and a half hours), but it’s worth it. Author Suzanne Collins also helped write the screenplay so that no key events are missing. Ultimately, I thought it was a fantastic movie that would appeal to all: fans of the book and parents who take their children.

Clara Enders, 11, is a sixth-grader at Scarsdale Middle School.