Well, you may have been living under a stone on an island – or just not have internet or TV – to not have heard about The Hunger Games movie released last weekend. It pulled in over $155 Million just on it’s opening. Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere have been lit up for weeks in anticipation of it’s release. So, in light of this, I thought I’d write up some things to consider as a Christ follower (don’t worry, it’s not ALL bad):
- Of course, it started out as a book, and so the endless conversation of “Which is better?” has been taking place all weekend. Personally, I like what the fine folks over at Blimey Cow had to say about that question.
- Consider the message of the heroine character, Katniss Everdeen; the big sister who sacrifices her self to take the place of her little sister in the lottery chosen to participate in the games. Michael Johnson over at Visionary Family Ministries points out some thoughts to consider under this umbrella.
- The issue also of children being lotteried out of their families for entertainment’s sake is also something we must certainly consider. It’s problematic on two fronts: 1) children being taken away from their parents and 2) the idea of “death sports” hearkening back to gladiator games.
- The sacrifice of Katniss for her sister and family is one of noble character and, as a Facebook friend noted, very well may have saved her family from starvation and her sister from certain death.
So, is there ever the situation where we enjoy something like a movie simply for entertainment purposes? What do you think of the movie – especially if you saw it? Would love to hear your feedback…