****This post contains a spoiler. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and are planning to, please stop reading now****
This last weekend, some girlfriends and I went to see The Hunger Games. It was a lovely day out. We went for dinner, which we haven’t done since Paris ‘09 and onto Starbucks for coffee out in the beautiful sunshine. Next on our agenda was the movies. We had all read the books and at least two of us followed production of the movie. The other was inducted forcibly into our ranks. You might say her name was called in the reaping and she had no choice but to become part of our overgrown district team.
So, there we were in our premier seats, one of my friends laughing inappropriately and the other being nudged by me to listen while popcorn lodged in my cleavage. Yep, I can’t say we are very mature when let loose.
The movie was great. After an initial eye roll from one of my friends on how the mockingjay pin was introduced we all settled in. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were tears and a loud girlish scream at one point, but I’m sure the guy that let it out was really caught off guard. All in all, a well turned out show.
****Here comes the big spoiler so last chance to look away****
At the end of the movie, when the credits started to roll, I turned to one of my friends and said, “Peeta didn’t lose his leg.” We didn’t pass a lot of heed, just casually commenting on how it might be handled in the next movie.
When I got home, I began thinking about it more. That night I had a restless sleep. The next morning it occurred to me why it bothered me so much.
When I was twelve I watched a movie called The Boy Who Could Fly. It was about a non-verbal boy with autism called Eric and a girl who sees more in him than just that. He becomes the hero of the story, saving her when she falls from a bridge. I remember having a pretty big crush on Eric. In a bizarre twist, years after I named my own son Eric and he was later diagnosed with a learning disability and autism.
Looking back, that movie embodies one of my pet peeves with autism in movies and television, that the special needs person must be special in some other way to compensate for their disorder or disability. They are either an angel, or can fly or see the future. Back to the games…
I eventually figured out I was looking forward to one of the ‘Teams’ being a guy with a disability. Peeta didn’t develop super powers when he lost his leg, it did impede him. He was a pretty ordinary guy thrown into extraordinary circumstances and he learned to live with both the physical disability and the mental scars brought on by his reconditioning. He wasn’t perfect either physically or psychologically and yet a lot of readers rooted for him right to the end. ‘Team Peeta’ was born.
I wanted that for the movie too. I wanted Peeta to not walk away physically unscathed and I was left wondering why he did. Could it be that the movie producers didn’t believe teen girls could see a physically disabled guy as a hero or a heartthrob for their latest movie franchise? Maybe I’m over reaching and there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for leaving it out.
Katniss’s guilt at Peeta losing his leg was pretty important as was his resulting inability to keep up in subsequent books. Why was it okay for the contestant of the games to be brutally murdered in a bloody gore-fest but not okay to show an amputated limb? It seems incredibly peculiar to me. Handsome, brave, hero and romantic interest comes in all shapes and forms.
It was only afterward that I realized, apart from a brief mention, the Avox were also missing. The Avox were people who rebelled against the Capitol and had their tongues removed.
Thought?
I can't read this because I have not seen it...yet! I will over spring break. I just want to say I adore you.
ReplyDeleteThank you and likewise. :) Enjoy the movie.
DeleteI totally missed the part about Peeta's leg but I didn't miss that they didn't put the Avox in the movie. They could easily add the part about Peeta's leg in to the opening of the second movie, but you are right, it did make the first movie miss that important piece. I just assumed it was implied because I had read the book, but I have to remember that not everyone has read it so they would not know it happened judging from the movie.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to figure out how they would add it too. I don't think it would be that easy to add since they very clearly stress his leg had healed after the sword and there was no massive bleeding at the cornucopia.
DeleteHopefully it's not that long to the next one and we'll find out. :)
Okay, I'm coming back tomorrow to read this after I see the movie tonight!
ReplyDeleteSomeone pointed out to me that there was an Avox. Their server was an Avox but there wasn't really any way to acknowledge that unless they talk about it.
ReplyDeletecheck out my review: http://ariannecruz07.blogspot.com/2012/03/movie-review-hunger-games.html
They had servers but it was never illustrated they were Avox. There was a brief mention of an Avox between Gayle and Katniss in the woods. Maybe I was expecting too much from the movie.
DeleteI'm heading over to check your blog. :)
Hi Carol. It's an interesting question. I wonder if someone will eventually answer why they made the change from the book. I'm sure others are wondering the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI think the standard response seems to be they were making a movie, not filming the book so changes were made.
DeleteWell this shows you how long ago I read THG because I didn't even remember Peeta losing his leg. I think they lightened the gore a bit (they didn't even really show what happened to skin that had been stung by tracker jackers) so I wonder if that's why they didn't show it. But you might be onto something about not wanting a main character to have a disability? I'm still hoping they change the ending of Mockingjay because I really didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteBut, how did you enjoy the movie over all? I hope you had a good time at it. :) Thanks for stopping by again.
DeleteCarol, I loved the movie. Highly entertaining and emotionally engrossing. Can't wait for Catching Fire!
ReplyDelete