"The Hunger Games" - Christian Reviews
If you haven't seen the movie, I would encourage you to watch the trailer, and then I would highly encourage you take just 30min and listen to the audio review below. There are times to take note of what is happening in our culture and in our world, and I firmly believe this is one of those times.
It has been said, that what is shown on the screen will be reality in 10 years. The world, Christians, and even conservative Christians have been flocking to see this film, and then recommending it...it has become the #1 movie in the world. It has impacted millions and millions of people. As Christians, we need to be aware of these things and know what the Bible has to say about it! - I don't necessarily agree with the following reviews 100%, but they make some good points worth considering. Let's be people who don't just following the masses, or the popular trends, or Hollywood's latest "greatest." Let's be people who think, and seek to understand truth through the filter of God's Word.
If you have comments or thoughts about the movie or books, feel free to leave me a comment, I would be happy to hear from you!
Generations with Vision
Excerpted from the full review here. [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]
It’s another blockbuster, and this time the children are going for it hook, line, and sinker. The Hunger Games netted $155 million in one springtime weekend! But what should a Christian father think about such a film? Kevin Swanson reviews the film with his daughter Emily, carefully examining the metaphysic, meta-ethic, gender roles, and ethical conundrums from the perspective of God’s Word.
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Little Things
Excerpted from the full review here.
...if you’re only going to watch the movie or read the books for entertainment (and have NO discussion of the ideas), then don’t do it. From things I’ve read from and about the author (Suzanne Collins), the series was meant to critique our “vulture-culture” that loves to see and hear about violence in the news, in stories, and in our own neighbors’ lives. (You’re probably guilty, too. Ever wished the person giving a prayer request at church would have provided just a few more details?) That was her intention. It saddens me to see all the entertainment hype surrounding the opening weekend of the movie, because that goes against the very critique of the book. But maybe it also illustrates a point. And that point may be this: That our society no longer knows how to watch a movie or read a book and be instructed or warned by it; a movie today automatically says “entertainment for a couple of hours” and viewers, figuratively speaking, shut their brains off. That is tragic to me. Why? Because one of the best ways to be instructed is through stories – stories of another person or society’s failure or triumph. Through those stories we gain knowledge and wisdom about how to live our lives, how to love well, and how to influence and understand culture.
The simple truth is, every story has a message. No movie or book is exempt. And if a person is mature enough to read or view a story with discernment and take instruction from that, then by all means, go read or watch. If a person doesn’t have the discernment to watch for a purpose other than being entertained, then please do not go see this movie, and do not read the books. In fact, I can’t think of very many movies or books you should read if your sole purpose is entertainment and you aren’t willing to think a little bit. As Christian viewers, we’re called to “take every thought captive” in every area of our lives. I don’t think this means we shy away from controversial issues, because our whole existence consists of controversial issues. Instead, I think it means we tackle them, know them for what they truly are, and use discernment in how to think about them.
Blue Banner Media
Excerpted from the full review here.
...[Americans] are getting in line to watch the violent, emotionally stirring, ethically surprising, spectacle of a motion picture adaptation of a popular novel. Aren’t they cheering the very thing that Collins was attempting to make them horror-struck by? The “critiquing violence with violence” method doesn’t appear to have worked. Instead, people will file into the theater and shout approval: “let the games begin!”
The film is extremely well made, well acted, and has some salient points brought up in its story line. The characters are fascinating and well developed, the ideas treated are deep, and yet a faulty foundation of humanism has failed to provide the needed answers. This film will dazzle audiences hoping only to be entertained, will provoke thought (and disgust) from those willing to think, but desensitizing aesthetics will defeat the supposed good intentions of the makers when it comes to the majority of Americans.
Regardless of the conclusions it comes to, whenever a film peddles situation ethics to young people it is dangerous, as is any film without a rock-solid moral foundation (i.e. Biblical Christianity).
Are we better than the Romans? Are we better than the cheering crowds in the Capitol of Panem? I think Gale’s words in the opening scene of the film hit on the right thought, “What if everyone quit watching? They wouldn’t have their games then.” I’m not suggesting that we all need to quit watching films with violence or that you can’t necessarily enjoy a film like The Hunger Games, but at what point do we draw the line? Will we let Hollywood continue to push that forward so we can be entertained? At what cost? We need to pray that God would give us all the wisdom to discern even the most exciting of movies, or we run the risk of amusing ourselves to death.
2 Comments
Reader Comments (2)
JC, I appreciate the simple but important call for mature reflection and a warning not to be swept away carelessly with the mass hysteria about The Hunger Games. Thanks for the links.
Thanks for putting these great, relevant views on here! Keep it up! :)