Unfortunately I am one such student. My guilty pleasure can be found in the pages of teen romance and drama; much to the disgust of my arts student peers. That's not to say that I don't also enjoy 'meatier' books. Some of my favorites include Northanger Abbey, The Book Thief and Les Miserables. But there is something really enjoyable about slipping away and reading a lighthearted novel that can be finished in a few hours. I like entering into the teen angst, inevitable love triangles and really predictable endings. I like escaping into fictional worlds where the impossible is made possible, and somehow its always the young and naive that save the day.
Despite my efforts to maintain my arts student credibility, my enthusiasm for YA drama reached a whole new level yesterday when I went to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie. Having already read the books, I eagerly waited in line for tickets with anticipation and excitement that was only surpassed by the girl behind me with a "May the odds be ever in your favor" t-shirt. I walked over to the ticket counter with a huge grin on my face and seated myself in a newly upholstered seat next to my sister. We watched as streams of people continued into the cinema until it was at capacity, while chatting about the book series.
The books represent everything that is both wrong and slightly addictive about YA fiction. We bond over our mutual love for the books but we both agree that the second two books were somewhat of a disappointment compared to the first. We discuss how annoying Katniss perspective is, and how frustrated we are at the lack of redemption in the final book. We argue over Team Peeta or Team Gale; and then resolve our conflict with Team Haymitch. We describe which scenes we are most looking forward to, and the ones we hope the movie doesn't ruin. We agree that we should watch the film with an open mind, because it is a well known fact that the movie is never as good as the book
The lights dim, and for a whole 2.5 hours we entered the world of the Hunger Games. I smiled at the heart warming moments, cringed at the awkward love triangle, shielded my eyes from the creepy animals and shed a tear along with Katniss at the ending. We even wait until the credits are finished so we can fully appreciate Coldplay's song (listen and enjoy).
We leave the cinema with more excitement than we entered. The images that the movie provided were so much better that what we had imagined in the book. The events surrounding the characters came to life in a way that words could do no justice. The costumes were a piece of art in themselves with intricate detail and colour that could only belong on the big screen, and the symbolism of the rebellion throughout the film engaged us in a way that the book never could!
It was on the drive home when I fully lost the remainder of arts credibility as I uttered these words,
"I think the movie was better than the book."
Elise
