'Hunger Games' Is No 'Star Wars,' And That's Okay

[NelsonG]

[url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/movies/2012/03/star_wars_hunger_games.jpg"][img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/movies/2012/03/star_wars_hunger_games.jpg[/img][/url]

It seems like every time I go online I see another news article or blog comparing “The Hunger Games” to “Star Wars.” I get it: they both made a lot of money and they both have trilogies. But that’s all the similarity I see. Don’t get me wrong, I like “The Hunger Games.” I’ve read all the books and I liked the movie, a lot. But Suzanne Collins is no George Lucas, and “The Hunger Games” is no “Star Wars.” And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Here are just a few of the many ways “The Hunger Games” differs from “Star Wars”:

[b]1.[/b] We all know that “Star Wars” takes place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” Collins’ story happens in the future, but right here at home – a North America that somewhere along the way is renamed Panem.



[b]2.[/b] The main protagonist of “The Hunger Games” is a young girl - Katniss Everdeen - who, from the start of the story, asserts her individuality, independence and willingness to rebel against authority. Obviously there’s a rebellion in “Star Wars” too, but I see it more as a team of heroes facing a tyrannical enemy rather than one main character leading a revolution.

[b]3.[/b] “The Hunger Games” is very much a social commentary, not just a good vs. evil, hero’s journey to redemption story. A major theme in THG is society’s obsession with celebrity, and that’s nowhere to be found in the “Star Wars” films.

[b]4.[/b] “The Hunger Games” was a trilogy of novels before Hollywood came calling. With “Star Wars,” of course, the films came first, then everything else. This may seem like an inconsequential detail, but it’s really not. Filmed adaptations will always be scrutinized for faithfulness to their printed predecessors. George Lucas didn’t have to deal with that.

[b]5.[/b] And speaking of George… despite his faults and detractors, there’s no denying he’s become a true legend in popular culture for what he created. “Star Wars” was groundbreaking in so many ways. The fact that this column is being written, three and a half decades after the original film hit theaters, is just one testament to that fact. Will we still be talking (and bickering) about Suzanne Collins thirty or forty years from now?

I wish “The Hunger Games” all the best, and I look forward to seeing the second and third installments of the trilogy. But to say that it’s this generation’s “Star Wars” is just plain wrong – no generation will see a phenomenon that comes close to “Star Wars.” And that’s fine by me.

[b]In [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/tag/the-comlink"]The Comlink[/url], "Star Wars" fan and MTV News producer Tami Katzoff explores the glory days of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Whether you're Team Jedi or Team Sith, friend of Wookiees or wanted by bounty hunters, any and all "Star Wars" fans are welcome along for the ride.[/b]



[url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/28/hunger-games-star-wars/]View the full article[/url]