Line #173 YMMV/TheHungerGames


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. Such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3	Examples from ''Literature/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes'' can be found [[YMMV/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes here]].
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5	[[foldercontrol]]
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7	[[folder:The books]]
8	* AccidentalInnuendo:
9	** ''Mockingjay'' had Johanna say this:
10	--->''Peeta and I had adjoining rooms. We know each others' screams very well.''
11	** "Give them a good show. That's all they want."
12	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The series has quite a few of these.
13	** Was the anguish Cato expressed over [[spoiler:Clove's death]] a PetTheDog moment or was he just furious that [[spoiler:he lost his last pawn]]?
14	** Invoked InUniverse on a few occassions with regards to the berries. While everyone in universe and out of it can recognize the significance of the event, there is little agreement about why Katniss did it or what it symbolizes. Even Katniss has to weigh her exact motivations for her decision to save Peeta, noting that she had selfish ones like [[NeverAcceptedinHisHometown not wanting to be a pariah]] and [[BecomingTheMask wanting to save a boy she cares deeply about]] as well as more high-minded ones like [[EveryoneHasStandards basic human decency]] and [[ArcWords wanting to prove she is more than a piece in the Capitol's game]].
15	---> ''And again and again when I held out those berries that mean different things to different people. Love for Peeta. Refusal to give in under impossible odds. Defiance of the Capitol's inhumanity.''
16	** In the last book, was Katniss's approval for [[spoiler:the Capitol Games]] a BatmanGambit to catch [[spoiler:President Coin]] off-guard or was she genuinely [[spoiler:vengeful after Prim's death]]? Additionally, because the series takes place from Katniss' first-person POV, and her growing paranoia and suspicion increasingly make her an UnreliableNarrator, it's up for discussion which events were someone manipulating things behind the scenes and which were coincidences, and if Katniss' surmised reasons for the actions of those around her are the truth.
17	** Does Katniss dislike Johanna because of Johanna's abrasive personality, or because Johanna is the only other competent female she has to work with in the Quarter Quell and Katniss feels threatened by her?
18	** The Career Tributes in general: were they heartless killing machines or human sacrifices raised to die and thus the most tragic of casualties? All of our information on the motivations of the Career tributes comes from Katniss, who for the sake of survival, actively has to suppress empathy for them and therefore has a biased account. Furthermore, two of the three Districts immediately joined the rebellion (and the third was sitting right next to a literal mountain of peacekeepers). It's not hard to imagine a more sympathetic narrative for them: they train their children to survive in the games, and use volunteers to make sure that the children sent have the best chance of survival. It's true they may be brutal, but the alternative is just to wait the Games out, and Katniss acknowledged that if their food ran out, the advantage flipped to the poorer districts.
19	** Foxface:
20	*** Was her decision to never confront anyone directly born out of morality... or out of [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatism]]? She's often interpreted as a NiceGirl and a BadassPacifist because she's never shown attacking another Tribute. However, she may have avoided the others because she knew she was no match against them, while being perfectly okay with the idea of killing them (and simply never having an occasion to do it). Katniss at least believes that Foxface would kill her and Rue if approached for their alliance, but we are never shown anything to suggest (or disprove) this. It's much easier to believe Foxface is a pacifist if one considers that upon an encounter with an unaware, lone Peeta, she stole his food instead of attacking him. However, even then one could make the argument that she was afraid Katniss would hear the fight (or the cannon), and would reach her before she could escape. In any case, Foxface clearly doesn't use violence in her strategy of avoiding others and looting their supplies, which possibly makes her one of the more moral tributes in the Games.
21	*** Her [[spoiler:death]]. Many people suspect it was no accident but a deliberate [[spoiler: suicide. Since she knew she was no match for the remaining three tributes]], she opted for the quickest, most painless way to go and did it in a way that her family at home wouldn't get in any trouble. The first movie throws more credence out there, showing [[spoiler: Foxface whizzing through a plant identification test during the training scenes]].
22	** Peeta Mellark: Devoted star-crossed lover or StalkerWithACrush who uses the Games to {{invoke\|dtrope}} UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome?
23	*** Did he know or trust that [[spoiler:Plutarch would never let Katniss be executed, when stopping Katniss from taking the nightlock pills after she shot Coin]]? Or was he acting in the heat of the moment since [[spoiler:Katniss broke the script, shooting Coin instead of Snow]]? It could be argued either way, given [[spoiler:he shows up in District 12 saying exactly what Katniss needs to hear to break her HeroicBSOD and actually start doing therapy]].
24	** [[spoiler:President Coin]]: Evil or [[spoiler:a revolutionary leader doing what she felt she had to in order to keep a new prospective country stable]]?
25	*** Especially if you [[spoiler:take Snow's words at face value or consider that he might be deluding Katniss. Especially since the key factor to Coin's true face (the bombs) is something that not even the people who ''made'' them had an idea of)]].
26	*** The book itself seems to stress [[spoiler:the similar natures of Snow and Coin, showing that they're both equally evil but Snow is worse than Coin in certain areas while Coin is worse than Snow in other areas. And the Capitol Games proposition seems to reinforce that if Coin got her way, nothing would really change. It would be the exact same world but with the Capitol and Districts' positions reversed. Coin, while possibly having a good excuse for it, was ultimately very power-hungry.]]
27	** President Snow:
28	*** During the talk at the beginning of ''Catching Fire'', President Snow seems for a moment genuinely concerned about the implications of a new war for the (relatively) few remaining humans, and he ''did'' promise not to lie. Of course, his concern could always be more about his own hold over said humans than their lives, and Snow has been known to lie: just not when he makes a ''promise'', in which he is always bound to his word.
29	*** This also goes for his final words to Katniss. [[spoiler:Snow claims that he has [[EvilHasStandards standards]] and won't bomb his own citizens. Still, he has more of a motive for the parachute bombings as Coin gains very little from killing the Capitol civilians and her own medics because the rebels were already winning and she was guaranteed to be president after defeating the Capitol--unless, of course, she was planning to pin it on Snow. Meanwhile, Snow has nothing to lose and is known for his deceit; in fact, Snow got into power by poisoning his political opponents while poisoning himself to avoid suspicion, and the parachute bombings fits his modus operandi.]]
30	** Johanna: Flavours of JerkWithAHeartOfGold or AlphaBitch? A good chunk of the narrative displays her negatively (in ''Catching Fire'' anyway), but many of her words and deeds suggest otherwise. At most, she's intentionally portrayed as a BrokenBird.
31	** Gale's [[AggressiveCategorism prejudice]] towards the more "privileged" members of District 12 can take a darker turn in the latter two books. He was interested in running away from the District with his and Katniss' families, but when Katniss suggested they bring Peeta along, he immediately shuts down the idea entirely. Was this because he was now committed to the rebellion or were his CrazyJealousGuy tendencies going overboard? Later in ''Mockingjay'', it's revealed that he led the survivors of District 12 to District 13. He made sure to rescue his and Katniss' families, but once again neither Peeta's nor Madge's families are among the survivors.
32	** Madge:
33	*** Did she rush through a snowstorm during a major Peacekeeper crackdown to bring Gale medicine just because she wanted to help someone in pain... or because, as Haymitch theorizes, she's in love with him?
34	*** There are those who theorize that Madge was in love with ''[[LesYay Katniss]]'' instead of Gale. Due to being Katniss' OnlyFriend and vice-versa, even though she could've been popular, [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe she chose Katniss instead]]. The most convincing argument is Madge giving her mockingjay badge (an irreplaceable heirloom) to Katniss as well as kissing her on the cheek when saying goodbye. The hostility towards Gale can be easily interpreted as jealousy. Her showing up in a snowstorm at Katniss' door was maybe less for Gale and more because [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she knew how much Gale meant to Katniss]].
35	** Caesar Flickerman: [[MouthOfSauron Mouthpiece of the Capitol]] and closest thing to President Snow's [[TheDragon Dragon]]? Or a StepfordSmiler legitimately doing what he can to help the tributes gain sympathy? Because he's rarely shown when not on live TV, it's hard to tell either way. He generally acts nice, but every moment of his kindness occurs when he is on television, which means almost nothing since his job is to make the Hunger Games more interesting for the Capitol audience while downplaying its cruelty. In addition, he does nothing remotely rebellious or rather anything that suggests that he isn't fine with the existence of the Hunger Games like his fellow Capitol employees, Cinna and Effie, do.
36	** In the 74th Hunger Games, Seneca Crane's and the Gamemakers' decision to give Katniss an 11. Was it their way to reward her boldness? Or was it a way to punish her for shooting an arrow near them, by making her the prime target of the Careers? The first movie leans toward the former by adding a conversation between Seneca Crane and Snow in which Crane sounds impressed by her (Snow less so, as he understands the full ramifications of the games while Crane doesn't).
37	** During the feast at the Cornucopia, Thresh takes both his and Cato's backpacks before running off. Did he intend to lure Cato out, so he could kill him and therefore eliminate his most dangerous enemy, or was it a HeroicSacrifice to distract Cato from chasing Katniss and give her a chance to get away?
38	* AngstWhatAngst: In ''Mockingjay'', Peeta shows a remarkable lack of grief over [[spoiler:his dead family]]. It's justified at first since he's [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy for the first third of the book]], but it's still a bit jarring that [[spoiler:the Mellarks' deaths get brought up once and are never mentioned again]]. There is the implication that he didn't care so much about his parents' deaths since they were abusive towards him (his mother was at least), which muddies the water further.
39	* BadassDecay: Invoked purposefully with Katniss in the third book. Once an ever-fighting tribute, now a trauma-stricken shell. [[spoiler: But don't worry, she gets better at the end.]] Resulted in a bit of AngstDissonance for at least a few fans.
40	* BrokenBase: ''Mockingjay'' pretty much splits the fanbase into three sections. The first loves the book because of how well it portrays the RealLife effects of war. The second partially dislikes the book because so many horrible, horrible things happen to Katniss and/or such and such character dies, but otherwise they're okay with it. The third dislikes the book because they perceive the quality of the writing as having decreased. Then there are those small fourth and fifth camps, the former loving the book as unconditionally as the first two but not picking up on the themes, and the latter disliking the book simply because they thought it was boring and they [[AngstDissonance were annoyed with Katniss's psychological state]].
41	%% Please do not add back President Coin to the Complete Monsters list. She has been disqualified in the Complete Monsters thread in Special Efforts. If you wish to add any other Complete Monsters to this list, please present them, and arguments for their inclusion, [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=6vic3f9h1cy5qivsenw8llok&page=1 here]].
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43	* CaptainObviousReveal: Peeta [[spoiler: throwing away his knife and shortly afterwards unbandaging his bleeding leg to accept his death and allow Katniss to win]] is the moment Katniss realizes he’s a good person that was 100% telling the truth about loving her and that their FakeRelationship was more than just a survival tactic to him. Given that just about [[EveryoneCanSeeIt every heroic character, even little Rue, figured this out already and tells Katniss as much]], his repeated self sacrificial actions, and that Katniss is fairly clearly in denial about it, it borders on InternalReveal but the [[UnreliableNarrator narration treats him as a liar and a potential threat up until the last moment.]]
44	* DesignatedHero:
45	** Katniss regards Caesar as a good person because he brings out the best in every tribute he interviews. However, given that Caesar is a Capitol employee, his kindness is very [[InformedKindness questionable]], especially since Caesar's job is to make the Hunger Games more entertaining for the Capitol audience, which includes downplaying the Games' cruelty. Also, Caesar never shows any hint that he is unhappy with the Hunger Games, so his kindness makes him more of a BitchInSheepsClothing.
46	** If one believes Snow's words, then Plutarch is another one [[spoiler:since Snow names him as the member of Coin's group who helped plan out the parachute bombings that killed multiple Capitol civilians and District 13 medics, yet Plutarch's possible involvement is [[KarmaHoudini ignored]] in the aftermath of Coin's death.]]
47	* DesignatedVillain:
48	** The Career Districts 1, 2, and 4. Despite being regarded as one of the Capitol's lapdogs and one of wealthier Districts, District 4 was one of the first three Districts to start rebelling in ''Catching Fire''[[note]]the other two being District 3 and District 8[[/note]]. Of the three Career ones, District 2 was the last to join the rebellion and has the most loyalists within its population, but this is also due to the greater Capitol presence in said District and even then District 2 has its own share of rebels, some of whom are former Hunger Games tributes.
49	** The Career pack in the Quarter Quell are this. Two of their members allied with the rest of the tributes in rebelling against the Capitol during the interview phase, yet Katniss and Finnick attack them at the very start of the Quarter Quell when they all were unarmed. Given Katniss and Finnick's actions, it's no wonder the Career pack try to ambush them later.
50	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The Games are hateful, deplorable, they ruin their victors psychologically, and the series as a whole is viciously antiwar… but a major part of the story's appeal is the actual excitement of the Hunger Games sequences… ''For both the Capitol and the readers!''
51	* DracoInLeatherPants: Many of the Career tributes are subject to this interpretation in the fandom. Cato is especially noticeable. Of course, it doesn't help that even the nastiest of them ''are'' [[TragicMonster tragic monsters.]]
52	* EnsembleDarkhorse: [[EnsembleDarkHorse/TheHungerGames Has its own page.]]
53	* FandomEnragingMisconception:
54	** You should spell the name of The Boy with The Bread as ''P-E-E-T-A'', no deviations allowed.
55	** If you value your skin, do '''not''' say ''Hunger Games'' is a ripoff of ''Battle Royale''.
56	** And for the love of god, do ''not'' dismiss it as "''Twilight'' with bows", given that the only thing they have in common is a LoveTriangle between two boys and a girl.
57	* FandomRivalry:
58	** With ''Literature/BattleRoyale'', due to the highly dubious allegations by certain ''Battle Royale'' fans that ''The Hunger Games'' is nothing but an unauthorised American remake of their beloved work.
59	** Also with ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', due to them both being popular, female-centered series aimed at teens released around the same time. A lot of ''The Hunger Games'' fans have a tendency to bash ''Twilight'' for its protagonist allegedly being far less proactive and badass than Katniss; both series also [[FollowTheLeader inspired a lot of similar films, novels and TV shows]].
60	** Some ''Hunger Games'' fans also show a distaste against ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' and ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'', thinking they're poor attempts at FollowTheLeader. However, there are also many [[FriendlyFandoms who like all three of them]].
61	* FanficFuel:
62	** There were ''seventy-three years'' of Hunger Games, with 57 Victors of these games alive, before the start of the series. That's a ''lot'' of scope for fanfic writing.
63	** The story proper ends with Katniss [[spoiler:and Peeta beginning a romantic relationship - literally on the night when they first have sex and Katniss says she loves him]]. The epilogue picks up fifteen years later, at which point [[spoiler:they have two small children]]. Ample room for fanfic writers to fill in the gaps of what happened in-between. Stories focused on what happened right after Katniss said the word "real", or the day following, is practically its own sub-genre.
64	* {{Fanon}}:
65	** In ''Catching Fire'', right before watching the tape of Haymitch's victory (also the 2nd Quarter Quell), Katniss asks Peeta if they also have a tape of the First Quarter Quell, which has led many readers to assume the only other (now deceased) victor from District 12 won the First Quarter Quell, which is not impossible but would be a pretty big coincidence. [[spoiler: Officially {{Jossed}} in ''The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes'', since Lucy Gray Baird is the winner of the ''10th'' Hunger Games. Although Lucy Gray was effectively {{Unperson}}ned by the end of the novel, author Suzanne Collins [[http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/scholastic-releases-new-interview-suzanne-collins-author-worldwide-bestselling-hunger- confirmed that she is the fourth victor mentioned]]]].
66	** The fandom, or at least the fanfiction writing portion thereof, has almost universally agreed that one of Peeta's brothers (usually the younger one) is named Rye. The name Graham for Peeta's father has become increasingly popular too. It seems to have been {{jossed}} some time ago as [[WordOfGod Suzanne Collins]] has reportedly said that [[spoiler:Katniss and Peeta named their daughter Willow and their son Rye -- after his grandfather, though that doesn't mean Peeta can't have a brother named Rye as well,]] but fandom does not care.
67	** Katniss and Peeta [[spoiler:getting married]] is never mentioned in the books. The movie actually suggests [[spoiler:that they don't marry, since their children are credited as having their mother's surname, meaning that Katniss either never married Peeta or she didn't take his name]]. In any event the fandom pretty much universally agrees that [[spoiler:they are husband and wife by the time of the epilogue. Though some TakeAThirdOption and suggest they had a toasting ceremony but never a legal one]].
68	** Peeta is obviously an adept baker in the books, but whether or not he can cook is never brought up. The fandom, however, has agreed that he is also a very good chef, often including scenes of him cooking extravagant meals in fanfiction (oftentimes in connection to Katniss' love of good food, especially in AU fics when they aren't together in the beginning, as a way to attract her to him).
69	** On a more R-rated note... When Katniss finds Peeta by the stream in the first book, he is septic due to the wound in his leg having become infected. Katniss begins to undress him to clean him up in an attempt to slow down the infection, but hesitates when he's down to his underwear. He calmly tells her that he doesn't care if she sees him naked, probably because he's too sick to care, and/or maybe he's just not very shy about nudity to begin with. The fandom however, and fanfiction writers in particular, have decided that the reason why he doesn't care is that he is, erm, very well-endowed. It's not an unreasonable theory, after all he is fine letting the girl he's had a huge crush on forever see his, shall we say "baguette", in a situation where he would also be naked in front of the entire country on live television. But, as mentioned above, it could also simply be that he's got far more pressing issues to worry about.
70	** It's never explicitly said that Johanna not having any family and Snow's promise to kill the loved ones of victors who won't be pimped out are related, but a large percentage of fanfics[[note]]''Fanfic/CheckmateAnlaShok'', ''Fanfic/JohannaMasonTheyWillNeverSeeMeCry'', and ''Fanfic/{{The End of the World\|FernWithy}}'' are notable exceptions[[/note]] go with that.
71	** District 6 having at least 2 victors addicted to the fictional drug of morphling when none of the other victors are specifically mentioned as having such addictions causes some fanfic writers to run with the premise that District 6 is a ViceCity overflowing with addicts.
72	** Several cases of AscendedFanon that made their way into ''Literature/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes'' can be found [[Trivia/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes here]].
73	* Fanon Discontinuity:
74	** Many fans imagine the story diverging with the 3rd Quarter Quell twist due to either disliking the deaths of so many Victors and people like [[spoiler: Cinna, Madge, and Prim]] that result from this or just wanting to see the Games go on longer with Katniss and Peeta mentoring and/or there being more Quells.
75	** The prequel novel has people who prefer to ignore its existence due to its version of the first ten Games and Snow's backstory not satisfying everyone and making a lot of popular fanfics OutdatedByCanon.
76	* FanNickname: [[spoiler:"The Prim Reaper" for Gale, due to him being indirectly responsible for Prim's death.]]
77	* FirstInstallmentWins: The series is called "The Hunger Games" trilogy for a reason, aside from the fact that said games are the focal point of the entire series.
78	* FountainOfMemes: Peeta. The most popular are pointing out that he was on fire too, bread puns due to his family being bakers, and [[http://www.memestache.com/category/45/Advice+Peeta Advice Peeta.]].
79	* FriendlyFandoms:
80	** ''The Hunger Games'' fans tend to get on pretty well with ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fans, possibly because they're both children's/young adult novels which also deal with more mature themes and appeal to adults, have decent film adaptations and have heroines who are seen as proactive, well-rounded characters. Another reason is possibly that they're united in their [[FandomRivalry shared rivalry]] with ''Twilight''.
81	** That said, there is a little friendliness with ''Twilight'' due to Creator/StephenieMeyer being a fan of the ''Hunger Games'', which helped bring some ''Twilight'' fans into the fold.
82	* HarsherInHindsight:
83	** Early in the first book, Gale quips bitterly to Madge that she won’t be going to the games (thanks to her parents wealth and connections, she only has 5 entries). [[spoiler: We learn in Catching Fire that her aunt was a victim of the Quarter Quell despite also coming from an affluent family.]]
84	** In the first book, Katniss temporarily becomes deaf in one ear due to an explosion. During the filming of an underwater scene in ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'', her actress Jennifer Lawrence punctured her eardrum and couldn't hear out of one ear for months.
85	** In late 2016, [[http://deadline.com/2016/12/game2-winter-rape-murder-russian-reality-series-yevgeny-pyatkovsky-1201871444/ a Russian reality show]] (''[=Game2=]: Winter'') with a similar premise and a few of the same features as the Hunger Games was announced, with murder and rape permitted.[[note]]However, any act of rape or murder can and will be punishable by Russian law afterward. In addition, it was revealed this was nothing more than a social experiment. Thank goodness.[[/note]]
86	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Peeta enters the games prepared to die to ensure that Katniss lives; he knows both of them surviving is unlikely, and at the time she doesn't return his feelings. [[spoiler:In ''Catching Fire'', Katniss makes Haymitch swear that she must return the favor for Peeta because one of them has to make it out and she owes Peeta her life. The series ends with them HappilyMarried, and focused on living rather than surviving. Katniss says she needs Peeta's warmth and kindness to make it through each day]].
87	* HesJustHiding:
88	** Some Foxface fans like to think that [[spoiler:she swapped the poisonous berries she was eating for something else to fake death]], arguing that if anyone was smart enough to do it, it was her.
89	** Plenty of fans believe that some, or even most, of the 34 unaccounted for [[HeroOfAnotherStory victors of past games]] just went into hiding and survived the Mockingjay Rebellion.
90	** While [[spoiler:Madge Undersee]] is listed as a casualty of the bombing of [[spoiler:District 12]], the [[KillItWithFire disfiguring manner of her likely death]] and the long period the body would have spent decaying before people return to the district makes it possible she was misidentified. It's certainly nice to hope that's the case.
91	* HilariousInHindsight: The EstablishingCharacterMoment (omitted from the film) that has an incredibly drunk Haymitch making a very public pass at Effie, to which she responds with characteristic cool disdain, basically kills any potential ShipTease between the two. This is funnier to re-read it after you've seen the ''Mockingjay'' movies, in which they get PromotedToLoveInterest for one another. [[spoiler:Their final scene together in the last film, where they kiss goodbye and express the hope that they'll see one another again soon, is about as far from that NoYay first scene together in the books as it's possible to get.]]
92	* IdiosyncraticShipNaming: While Everlark is the most commonly used name for Peeta[=/=]Katniss, some fans prefer calling them "toast". She's the girl on fire, he's the boy with the bread, and the District 12 wedding ritual involves toasting bread.
93	* InformedWrongness: The Career Districts are often depicted in the wrong for training their tributes for the Hunger Games; however, given that the non-Career Districts are fine with sending tributes, who may be as young as twelve or even have physical handicaps, go into the Hunger Games unprepared, it's hard to fault the Career Districts for training their tributes, especially when their volunteer system helps their people earn more tesserae without any further risk and potentially grants them further benefits if their tributes wins the Games.
94	* IronWoobie: Peeta is arguably ''the'' biggest Woobie in the series. Starting from the beginning; [[spoiler: He comes from a abusive home. Once selected from the game, his brother doesn't offer to go in his place like Katniss did for Prim. His own mother told him to his face that Katniss had a better chance for survival than he does. Deciding to hedge his bets, Peeta tells Haymitch his plan is to keep Katniss alive and doesn't care if that means he's forfeiting his life. Once in the game, Haymitch puts all effort for sponsorship for Katniss as he also considered her the more likely of the two to survive. Peeta loses a leg protecting Katniss. He accidentally walks into a forcefield and nearly dies. He's left behind in the Quarter Quells and gets captured and tortured by the Capitol. His family dies during the bombing of District 12. He's made BrainwashedAndCrazy, and even when rescued by District 13, he's used a tool by President Coin in order to get Katniss killed.]] Despite all of this, Peeta more or less takes it in stride and refuses to let it break him.
95	* JerkassWoobie: Haymitch. He spends most of his time getting drunk and generally acting like a cynical {{Jerkass}}, but once you learn about the hell he went through at the hands of the Capitol, you really can't blame him.
96	** Johanna Mason also qualifies. She's a rude, self-centered and easily provoked individual and also one of the few non-Career victors who seems to enjoy killing. On the other hand she's been through a lot, [[spoiler:she was pressured into becoming a prostitute by the Capitol, but when she declined, they "taught her a lesson" by executing her family members]].
97	* LesYay:
98	** There is some subtext between [[InterclassFriendship Madge and Katniss]]. Think about it, she is hostile against Gale in her introduction in the first book, [[MoodWhiplash only to turn to Katniss and wish her good luck as if nothing happened]]. And in her first scene in the second book, the first thing she says is telling Katniss how beautiful she looks.
99	** Johanna and Katniss, too, especially in ''Catching Fire'', especially Johanna oiling up in front of her and Katniss's dramatic reaction to seeing her undress (admittedly in a public elevator, but still).
100	* MagnificentBastard: [[MoleInCharge Plutarch Heavensbee]] is a commander in the Second Rebellion who infiltrated the Capitol and climbed through the ranks to become Gamemaker for the 75th Hunger Games and President Coriolanus Snow's [[TheDragon right-hand man]]. Plutarch pitches his idea to have previous winners compete again to Snow, letting Plutarch orchestrate their escape and recruit them to his rebellion. Plutarch also persuaded Snow to commit more crimes at a faster rate, while Plutarch created anti-Snow propaganda to unite all the districts against the tyrant. After successfully invading the Capitol and arresting Snow, Plutarch gives heroine Katniss Everdeen subtle hints that [[SmugSnake Alma Coin]] was behind the bombing that killed her sister Prim, leading to Katniss killing Coin. After defending Katniss for Coin's murder and with both Snow and Coin dead, Plutarch is given the power to choose the next president, with Plutarch making sure that whoever he picks will rule the recently liberated-Panem the way he sees fit.
101	* MemeticBadass:
102	** Thresh. Inevitable for a guy who spent half the time he appeared crushing heavily armed people with nothing but a rock.
103	** Katniss herself naturally gets some of this treatment.
104	* MisaimedFandom:
105	** Admittedly inevitable given that, once you strip away the CrapsackWorld and the horrible consequences and societal ramifications surrounding the titular Hunger Games, what you're left with is essentially a thrilling BattleRoyaleGame - a genre that, as proven by later video games like ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'', most definitely has a following. It's not very often that you get a literary equivalent of PlayTheGameSkipTheStory, but there you go. Several fans expressed interest in seeing the proposed 76th Hunger Games, [[spoiler:consisting entirely of Capitol children,]] actually play out and were disappointed that they never eventuated due to [[spoiler:Coin's death,]] missing the point that the Games are a horrible thing needing dismantling.
106	*** Collins herself seems to address this tricky fun factor later in the books, with ''Mockingjay'' being an unrelenting WarIsHell narrative shifting the frame of action to fully focus on the trauma and terror that the Capitol has wrought, and the prequel novel ''Literature/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes'' promising a depiction of another Games...but they're a formative early Games and they're ''terrible'', being a low-budget, minimally prepped affair that just shows how depressing and miserable the whole concept is stripped bare, with people dying early, having no food, training, or prowess, and hiding in a boring arena with poor security and faulty gift deliveries. The 10th Hunger Games are essentially written to be as unsatisfying for the audience as possible. The Games also take up only about a third of the book's narrative, further emphasizing that the Games as a thrill ride are not what Collins wants audiences to take away.
107	** A strategy board game was made, which successfully takes the event Collins has spent three books showing as horrible, life destroying, and a sign of just how evil humanity can be, and makes it a fun game for 2-6 players. Some fans are ecstatic.
108	** ''Many'' fans, like the Capitol crowd, were completely star-struck by the love triangles, intense action sequences and pretty costumes, to the point where ''wanting to be a tribute'' became the new "wanting to attend [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]]". (Though [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8e/06/9f/8e069ff565349e280f82c68caa48d853.jpg this]] exists, of course.) The [[WarIsHell final book]] didn't go over too well with these people.
109	** A lot of fanfiction (most notably, "[=SYOTs=]"[[note]]Submit your own Tribute(s)[[/note]]) involves sending [[SailorEarth OCs]] to the Hunger Games, and it's treated like a fun game rather than a dehumanizing death-match. Oddly, few of them ever get the real violence; they usually just hang around making [=OCs=], reaping, and maybe chariots/interview scenes. Then they realise they're going to have to start killing these characters they've created off and [[DeadFic lose their nerve]].
110	** There are people who see Katniss as a role model. For her character and survival skills, maybe. But for her actions? Katniss is pretty clear that she does ''not'' want people in-universe looking up to her or imitating her for that.
111	** People who are in it for the LoveTriangle. By the third book, Katniss is completely exasperated that everyone is so interested in her love life when there's bigger things at stake. This may also be a TakeThat at the Publisher, who insisted that Gale be made into a Love Interest instead of Katniss' cousin like he was originally envisioned.
112	** Several Hunger Games fan films exist on Website/YouTube, with people in the comments wanting more to be made.
113	* {{Moe}}:
114	** [[FriendToAllLivingThings Prim]]. Especially when she was younger. Though she grew out of it as the series progresses.
115	** [[PluckyGirl Rue]] even more so. [[spoiler:This makes her death especially painful.]]
116	* MoralEventHorizon:
117	** [[spoiler: President Coin when she kills Prim and the Capitol children. Don't believe Snow's words? Well, either way, she crosses it as she tries to set up another Hunger Game.]]
118	** In-universe, Snow crosses it when he reaps the victors for the Quarter Quell. That's what finally starts unrest going in the Capitol itself [[spoiler:and causes several prominent Capitol citizens to do a HeelFaceTurn.]]
119	** Clove taunting Katniss about [[spoiler:Rue's death]] before trying to slowly cut her to death.
120	** The Gamemakers of the 74th Hunger Games [[spoiler:making it so that Katniss and Peeta can both survive the Games, then yanking it away from them, only relenting after the two seemingly attempt to TakeAThirdOption of being TogetherInDeath]].
121	* {{Narm}}: Has its own [[Narm/TheHungerGames page]].
122	* NotSoCheapImitation:
123	** ''The Hunger Games'' was published in a period where Young Adult Romance novels were all the rage after being sparked by ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''. However, ''The Hunger Games'' ended up being more acclaimed because of having better writing and characters, and ended up starting its own trend of young adult romances being within a Dystopian setting.
124	** The concept of the Hunger Games is usually considered as a clear rip-off of ''Literature/BattleRoyale'', ''Hunger Games'' is still very popular regardless, with the similarities being a complete coincidence according to WordOfGod, who hasn't even heard of ''Battle Royale'' before writing. Calling ''Hunger Games'' a rip-off is a FandomEnragingMisconception because of this.
125	* OlderThanTheyThink:
126	** While people point to similarities with ''Battle Royale'', the concept of a government-run competition in a dystopian future in which the participants are killed for the spectatorship of others has existed as far back as Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheLongWalk'' and ''Literature/TheRunningMan''. (King himself pointed this out in his positive review of the first book.) And even further back than that if we include the RealLife gladiatorial fights in Rome.
127	** In a similar vein, the series is sometimes accused of ripping off ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', solely on the basis of having a LoveTriangle. Love triangles in literature predate ''Twilight'' by ''millennia'', the UrExample being Helen, Paris, and Menelaus in Myth/ClassicalMythology.
128	** The series' famous three-fingered hand-sign is the same as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_sign_and_salute hand-sign]] used by Scouting youth groups across the world. Which is kind of ironic, given how the Scouts try to each moral values through wilderness expedition while the Hunger Games similarly sends kids out into the wilderness though with the goal of killing each other.
129	* PeripheryDemographic: See WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids below.
130	* PortmanteauCoupleName: Unlike most portmanteau couple names, some of the ones for this series involve the characters' ''last'' names. Part of this is likely due to the fact that, if it were first names, Katniss/Peeta would result in some... rather ''interesting'' names (the most joked-about are "Katpee" and "Peeniss"), and several other names just followed suit.
131	** Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark is known as "Everlark"
132	** [[BirdsOfAFeather Katniss Everdeen/Gale Hawthorne]] is known as "Everthorne"
133	** [[ShipTease Katniss Everdeen/Finnick Odair]] is "Everdair"
134	** [[LesYay Katniss Everdeen/Madge Undersee]] is "Madniss"
135	** [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket]] is "Hayffie"
136	** [[OfficialCouple Finnick Odair/Annie Cresta]] is "Finnie" or "Odesta"
137	* QuestionableCasting: The books are told in the first-person by a sixteen/seventeen year-old girl. Casting Carolyn [=McCormick=], who is in her fifties and most definitely sounds her age, to read the audio books makes for a ''very'' jarring experience.
138	* RomanticPlotTumor: A common complaint about the series is the emphasis on the LoveTriangle among Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. The romantic subplot very often overshadows the more important plots, such as the cruelty of the Hunger Games, the beginnings of the Second Rebellion, or the discovery that [[spoiler:District 13 wasn't actually obliterated]]. It gets to the point that Gale and Peeta are more concerned about Katniss's romantic choice between the two of them rather than about the war against the Capitol.
139	* RootingForTheEmpire: The fandom has no shortage of fans who prefer the Career tributes to Katniss and Peeta, finding them equally sympathetic (or even more so), considering that they have been brainwashed and bred since birth to kill other kids in a horrific child murder reality show.
140	* {{Sequelitis}}: Affects the latter two books in the trilogy. ''Catching Fire'' is often regarded as a [[SamePlotSequel repeat of the first book on some level]], and the book's emphasis on the LoveTriangle among Katniss, Gale, and Peeta doesn't help. ''Mockingjay'' suffers from this to a greater degree; not only does it still [[SkewedPriorities focus on the romance at the expense of the more important war story]], it also has pacing problems with the protagonists not engaging in the actual war until the third act and with an ending that seems rushed to many.
141	* ShipMates:
142	** Katniss[=/=]Peeta and Gale[=/=]Madge or, [[spoiler:after Madge's death]], Gale[=/=]Johanna.
143	** Some people who prefer Katniss with someone else ship [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Peeta/Delly]].
144	* {{Squick}}:
145	** The description of [[spoiler:Glimmer]]'s death by tracker jacker wasp venom in Book 1.
146	** [[spoiler:Cato]]'s final hours before being put out of his misery, being [[spoiler:mostly eaten by "muttations", animals genetically engineered by the Capitol as weapons.]]
147	** The idea that some of the tributes used sexual appeal to gain sponsors is disturbing once you remember that they're all teenagers about to fight to the death for entertainment. Taken up to eleven with [[spoiler:Finnick, who reveals that after his victory, he was used as an unwilling sex slave to Capitol people (most likely including men and women).]]
148	** It's completely canon that some tributes are presented during the chariot portion of the games completely nude, presumably for the sexual gratification of the viewers. These are all kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen.
149	* StrawmanHasAPoint:
150	** Gale's plan for utilizing avalanches to kill the soldiers in the Nut is labeled [[DesignatedEvil "evil"]] by the other characters, but given that District 2 is in a war against the Capitol, killing enemy soldiers with avalanches is not any less ethical than killing them with bullets and explosives. The only part of Gale's plan that was morally ambiguous was his denial of giving the Capitol soldiers and loyalists an option to surrender.
151	** [[spoiler:Coin's plan for a final Hunger Games with the Capitol's children was a compromise that would satisfy the Districts' hunger for revenge while killing off the least number of lives possible. Nevertheless, this is regarded by the narrative as Coin crossing the MoralEventHorizon.]]
152	* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Certain people dismiss the whole trilogy as "an American rip-off of ''Literature/BattleRoyale''", despite the fact that the worldbuilding and plots of the two works, beyond the basic concept of "forced GladiatorGames with teenagers", are completely different and that GladiatorGames has a whole trope page of its own.
153	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
154	** Katniss's relationship with her sister is never really explored, when it was supposed to be the driving force in the first book.
155	** In ''Catching Fire'', the opportunity was wasted for Katniss to be a mentor and show us what things are like for the ''other'' victims of the games. Failing that, the opportunity was wasted for Katniss and Haymitch to go in together and give us a different flavour to the games/alliance thing, instead of rehashing the first game's plot of having Katniss protect Peeta and vice versa.
156	** The first book puts Katniss in a battle to the death with 23 other randomly-chosen people, painting the decision to kill or be killed as an enormous moral quandary, but [[spoiler:coincidences and LaserGuidedKarma ensure that she can win the whole thing without hurting anyone who isn't actively trying to kill her at that exact moment.]]
157	%%* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Finnick, Thresh, Mags, and Foxface.]]
158	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The age recommendation for these books - 11, 12, 13 - is surprising to some parents, reviewers, and even older teen readers. Maybe it's the inclusion of decapitation, suicide, torture, mutilation, child prostitution, death by fire or venom, being buried alive, and other psychologically and emotionally disturbing content that raises their eyebrows.
159	* TheWoobie:
160	** Virtually anyone, with special mention going to non-career Victors.
161	** Katniss herself. She's lived her life in dire poverty, her father's dead, she's forced twice into an arena where the only way she can survive is to become a murderer, she's forced to be in love with someone she barely knows, whose memories were then twisted to hate her, she's caught up in a war between EvilVersusEvil which keeps on getting everyone she cares about killed and tortured, and the leader of the side she's on is trying to get her killed, and she knows it.
162	** Peeta [[spoiler:was tortured viciously for six weeks with tracker jacker venom, until most of his happy memories were twisted into terrifying ones, and he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.]]
163	** Finnick [[spoiler:was forced into prostitution at fourteen, on pain of the deaths of his loved ones, and spent nearly two-thirds of the last book so worried about Annie that he could barely function. And then he dies without ever being able to meet his son.]]
164	** Pollux, though a minor character, still managed to be a Woobie, what with his being an Avox who spent five years doing forced labor underground, during which he didn't see the sun once. [[spoiler:Then his brother Castor gets killed.]]
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:The movies]]
168	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
169	** The first film seems to present the possibility that [[spoiler:Foxface purposefully killed herself with Peeta's nightlock berries. During the training montage, a scene of her matching and identifying plants from memory is shown, indicating that perhaps she knew all along what she was doing, and didn't actually make a fatal mistake.]] Since she was weak and starving anyway, and knew she couldn't match the other remaining four tributes, she opted for a quick, painless way out instead, and covered it up as an accident so that her family back home didn't get in any trouble. This goes all the way into HeroicSacrifice -- in eating the Nightlock berries before [[spoiler:Peeta]], she stops him from accidentally poisoning himself and [[spoiler:Katniss]]. Whether this is intentional is anyone's guess but quite possible.
170	** Peeta:
171	*** When did Peeta figure out that Katniss was faking the relationship? Did he ever find the notes that Haymitch sent with the sponsor gifts? Or was it as soon as hearing the announcement that they could both go home? He takes the ruse well, and only wants to make sure they can be friends after the games are over. Is he okay with it because he could sense Katniss's feelings were NotAnAct, or IOweYouMyLife since she risked her life to help him recover?
172	*** Is Peeta a devoted star-crossed lover or StalkerWithACrush who uses the Games to {{invoke\|dtrope}} UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome? The [[Film/TheHungerGames movie]] unintentionally adds to the latter interpretation to some extent when Peeta tells Katniss that he used to watch her walk home everyday.
173	** WebVideo/CinemaWins caught a FreezeFrameBonus of Caesar being a StepfordSmiler that he looks so ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnnNplxr31Y&t=99s tired]]'' before introducing Katniss and Peeta as the winners of the Hunger Games. Could it be a relief that the StarCrossedLovers found a way to survive? Fear of what the Capitol will do in retribution to all involved, including Caesar since he pushed Peeta about the girl he liked? Just years of seeing multiple deaths adding up and taking its toll? The jury is out.
174	** Alternate theories have cropped up over Effie's sigh of relief when she pulls Haymitch's name from the Reaping ball in ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire Catching Fire]]'' -- was she relieved because she thought that now Peeta, at least, was safe... or because she figured all along that Peeta would volunteer to go in with Katniss and, therefore, [[ShipTease she knew Haymitch was safe]]?
175	** Mrs. Everdeen in ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay Mockingjay Part 2]]'': [[spoiler:A former broken bird who finally fought through the loss of her husband and younger daughter to restart her life training new healers, or a current broken bird who abandons her daughter -- her last living relative, a psychologically and physically damaged teenage girl who had to pick up the slack when Mr. Everdeen died -- and leaves her to fend for herself]]?
176	* AwardSnub:
177	** The MTV Movie Awards came under fire for excluding Katniss from their Best Hero nominations, which happened to be entirely made up of male characters. This was especially bad due to the inclusion of John Cale, Creator/ChanningTatum's character from "Film/WhiteHouseDown", as the character wasn't very recognizable as opposed to the actor himself. That it didn't win Best Movie and Best Kiss either--both the only noms ''Breaking Dawn Part 1'' got and also won instead too--didn't go without outcry either.
178	** At the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, Jennifer Lawrence lost two awards to Creator/KristenStewart. As popular as Stewart was from ''Twilight'', most people agreed Lawrence would be taking home the two awards. She has won every Kids' Choice Awards nomination since.
179	** The Academy Awards ignored all the movies, even its more acclaimed aspects such as the original music.
180	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
181	** Arcade Fire's "Abraham's Daughter", which plays during the credits, perfectly captures the emotional frame of the whole movie. With symbolic lyrics to boot.
182	** Heck, pretty much all of the companion CD would count. T-Bone Burnett, the producer (previously of ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'' fame) was careful to follow along with District 12's Appalachian music roots and included a lot of lesser-known but extremely talented artists.[[note]]However, only three songs on it -- including the ones mentioned on either side of this entry -- are in the movie.[[/note]]
183	** Music/TaylorSwift's song "Safe & Sound", released late 2011, was mutually helpful, turning many people into fans of her and introducing many teenagers to the series through music. Her song "Eyes Open", while a little more rocking, has fitting lyrics for Katniss.
184	** Music/JamesNewtonHoward's score is also effective, and not only because of its incorporation of "Abraham's Daughter".
185	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
186	** Peeta. He's either a genuine AllLovingHero who deserved Katniss' affection or he's just TheLoad for her and she could've done better with Gale. Him being an AdaptationalWimp and somewhat {{Wangst}}y doesn't help.
187	** Gale as well. Some prefer him over Peeta, since he's more attractive and badass (being played by Creator/LiamHemsworth certainly helps), others [[DracoInLeatherPants call those same fans out]], since he's a BloodKnight whose actions [[spoiler:might have cost Prim's life, as well as the lifes of hundreds of Capitol children]].
188	* BrokenBase:
189	** Creator/JenniferLawrence as Katniss. Many accuse her of being a RaceLift, since Katniss was described as olive-skinned in the books, suggesting that Katniss is Mediterranean or Native American. Others thought she was perfect for the role, [[AbilityOverAppearance even if she didn't look much like the character description in the book]]. Others are fine with Jennifer Lawrence in the role, but would have preferred non-white actresses to at least get the opportunity to audition.
190	** Creator/JoshHutcherson as Peeta. Some think of him as a close-enough choice, others dislike how most of Peeta's character moments are non-existent in the movie, as he's supposed to be a warm, all-loving [[TheWoobie Woobie]], while his performance is mostly him being a PerpetualFrowner.
191	* CatharsisFactor: The death of [[spoiler:Clove]] is this for some fans purely because she's just that loathsome. She gets beaten to death by Thresh after taunting Katniss about [[spoiler:Rue's death]]. She calls for Cato's help but he never shows, making it both a KarmicDeath and BreakTheHaughty at the same time. There were reports of cheering in the cinemas when she was killed off.
192	* EnsembleDarkHorse: A few background characters who were largely overlooked in the books have received a lot more attention from the fans thanks to the film:
193	** Seneca Crane, almost entirely because of [[BeardOfEvil his beard]].
194	** Effie, mainly due to the MemeticMutation.
195	** Caesar Flickerman, due to a wonderfully flamboyant portrayal by Creator/StanleyTucci. And because of his [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome theme music]].
196	** Very soon after the movie was released, Google was bombarded by searches for Creator/IsabelleFuhrman, the actress who played Clove. Despite being mostly a OneSceneWonder, Fuhrmann has been widely praised for her ferocious portrayal of the character, some even calling her superior to how they imagined Clove in the books.
197	** Johanna. Her popularity skyrocketed once the movies came out due to how [[ClusterFBomb her rant during the interview]] and [[NakedPeopleAreFunny the elevator scene]] has made her "the best thing about the film".
198	** Foxface, who makes no alliances and is shown to be quick and clever and apparently without a mean streak.
199	* {{Fanon}}: Foxface's real name being "Finch" due to being called by that name in the Brazilian and Italian dubs.
200	* FightSceneFailure: When Cato [[NeckSnap snaps the younger tribute's neck]]. You can't expect minors to pull that off convincingly, but they are minors acting and adding a crunching sound effect would have certainly pushed the films rating up from PG-13.
201	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: District 11's three-finger salute, which Katniss raises in solidarity with them and turns into a symbol of rebellion, was [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/04/hunger-games-salute-sparks-real-life-trouble used in real life]] by people in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}} protesting the 2014 coup, enough that the military (which was very much aware of its origin) made it illegal.
202	* GirlShowGhetto: [[AvertedTrope Averted with a vengeance.]] ''The Hunger Games'' have gone on to become one of the highest grossing films with a female lead, and one the highest grossing films in North America period.
203	* HesJustHiding: [[spoiler:Some don't believe Thresh truly died because it wasn't seen, and others believe Foxface was just so smart that she was able to convincingly fake her own death.]] This should be impossible given that the Tributes have trackers implanted into them just before the games, but hey, people love to argue...
204	* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/AlexanderLudwig, who plays Cato, was also in ''[[Film/TheSandlot The Sandlot: Heading Home]]'' as bully E.J. Needman, who is told that the odds aren't exactly in his favor.
205	* MemeticMutation:
206	** Seneca Crane's beard.
207	** "THAT IS MAHOGANY!" Funny enough when Effie says it, but then [[http://news.moviefone.com/2012/03/25/that-is-mahogany-hunger-games_n_1377995.html Jennifer Lawrence does her impersonation]].
208	** The JitterCam that has been parodied everywhere.
209	* MisaimedMerchandising:
210	** Given it was 2012's first smash hit, it received merchandising. Given it's based around teenagers killing each other in a CrapsackWorld, it's mostly nonsense.
211	** Throughout the books (but especially the first), the Capitol uses violence as entertainment, and then draws attention to the (faked) romance to entice viewers further. Guess how the movies are marketed.
212	** Not to mention Covergirl releasing a line of Capitol-inspired makeup. Y'know, the people whose fashions are either incredibly gaudy or nightmarish? They even has Effie Trinket as the covergirl. ''[[{{Irony}} Wait a]] [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall second]]...''
213	** This receives a biting TakeThat in ''Catching Fire'', when a young girl tells Katniss that she's going to volunteer just like her when she's old enough. The expression on Katniss' face is one of silent horror.
214	* {{Moe}}: When Rue's casting was announced, there are archived comments of people now complaining that because Amandla Stenberg was so cute it was going to make the death scene even more heart breaking.
215	* NauseaFuel:
216	** Thanks to Katniss's MushroomSamba, we only see glimpses of post-Tracker Jacker Glimmer, but they're more than bad enough. The fact that Glimmer DiesWideShut doesn't help.
217	** The film's depiction is actually toned down considerably from the book's description, which involved disintegrating skin and Katniss grabbing ahold of the bones of Glimmer's ribcage to roll the body over to get to the quiver of arrows.
218	** Not so much for folks who might have motion sickness if they're watching the first movie. The ShakyCam does not help matter (and this movie was also an IMAX release, woe to anyone who was watching that with that condition).
219	* OneSceneWonder: The curly-haired boy in the Cornucopia who ''almost'' makes it out alive but has the worst luck. He gets boxed in by the violence and tries hiding, which seems to be a sensible strategy as the Careers take pleasure in their kills, and Thresh slashes a girl while taking her scythe. As soon as the dust settles, the boy grabs a pack and a sword, only to run into Cato. He doesn't even get a chance to defend himself.
220	* PeripheryDemographic: Unlike ''Film/{{Twilight}}'', ''The Hunger Games'' films have attracted ''male'' audiences like ''Literature/HarryPotter''. While the crowd is still more female, many guys show up for the action, the captivating plot, [[TestosteroneBrigade and Jennifer Lawrence]]. Both the original and ''Catching Fire'' ended up grossing more domestically than any of the ''Twilight'' and Potter movies ever did to boot.
221	* QuestionableCasting:
222	** Katniss, while her race is never clarified, is described as resembling today's Native Americans, with long black hair tied in a braid, a small stature, olive skin, and grey eyes. Jennifer Lawrence did a good job, but her skin definitely isn't olive and her hair is neither straight nor black. It would be one thing if just the hair was different, but it's like they didn't even try to find someone who matched the description in the book.[[note]]In fact the casting call stated they were looking for ''white'' actresses.[[/note]]
223	** A lot of fans complained about the casting of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, due to him being short, brown-eyed and (apparently) not attractive enough. Made fun of by WebVideo/HonestTrailers when they wonder why they didn't cast Liam Hemsworth as Peeta instead if they wanted audiences to root for Katniss/Peeta over Katniss/Gale. This went away with the sequels - where Josh Hutcherson was able to get more to work with.
224	** People ''thought'' this happened to Rue. There was a case of backlash where people complained about her being portrayed by a black actress despite being dark-skinned in the books. Many of them said that they'd seen 'dark skin' and just pictured her as tan, or completely ignored the description thinking she was white like Prim, and then did not want to change their minds on the girl that they'd pictured. Although it has been noted that Amandla Stenberg is still rather light-skinned, and the book specifically states that Rue and Thresh have the same dark skin; Dayo Okeniyi is considerably darker.
225	** Similarly to Rue, Thresh's casting announcement also got backlash for getting a dark-skinned actor play a definitively described dark-skinned character.
226	** People were ''livid'' when Buttercup appeared in the first film as a black and white cat despite being distinctly described as a yellow/orange (he was even ''named'' for his color). It's hard to argue "AbilityOverAppearance" for a ''cat''. It got so bad that ''Suzanne Collins herself'' demanded that Buttercup be recast, and the original cat was eschewed for a far more fitting orange cat in the future films.
227	** Haymitch is described as being black-haired and having a notable gut due to being an alcoholic. They cast Creator/WoodyHarrelson, who is blond and slender. However, many have praised his performance, arguing that AbilityOverAppearance is in play.
228	* RelationshipWritingFumble:
229	** Due to it being a film rather than in first-person narration like the book, some people don't get a good sense of how and why Katniss is faking her feelings for Peeta, and interpret it as a more typical romance under fire. However, the movie does give some strong indications (Haymitch pointing out how the "star-crossed lovers" thing is useful; Haymitch's note with the soup saying "You call that a kiss?", indicating Katniss has to play up the romance to get popularity and sponsors). And at the end Peeta acknowledges it was artificial, though he ''wants'' to have something real. The real difference from the book is that in the movie it seems more like Peeta's aware all along that Katniss is faking for the cameras, whereas in the books he thought her feelings were genuine and was very hurt to learn otherwise after the Games. This gets better in ''Catching Fire'', with the circumstances making it much easier to make clear that they're playing up the relationship for the cameras.
230	** Also, it's very hard to build Gale as a proper alternative when he gets almost no time with Katniss, or indeed, in the film. Again, in ''Catching Fire'', this does get better.
231	* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JackQuaid plays Marvel, the boy from District 1. He's stated that fans constantly remind him of this - and what his character did - over a decade later.
232	-->"No matter what I post, there will be one comment that just says, 'You killed Rue.' And I'm like, 'I know. I'm aware. I'm sorry.'"
233	* SlidingScaleOfSocialSatisfaction: Categorized as "Revolution is the Key".
234	* SpecialEffectFailure: Most people agreed that Katniss's flaming dresses were... underwhelming, especially considering that the audience, knowing it's CGI, experiences none of the awe of the Capitol citizens watching someone burst into flames right in front of them. It doesn't help that it becomes an OverlyLongGag.
235	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
236	** Many people weren't happy that District Four wasn't one of the Career Districts as it was in the books. Fans also complained that the District Four female was killed in the initial bloodbath rather than by the tracker jackers (like Glimmer was).
237	** Fans also didn't like how [[spoiler:Thresh]] was killed by the wolf mutts instead of by Cato.
238	** The Mockingjay badge being an item Katniss was given at a market instead of being a gift from Madge, [[spoiler:who got it from a former tribute]], since it removes the narrative significance of it.
239	** WebVideo/SarahZ felt that the changing of the nightlock berries scene took some of the "bite" out of the moment; in the book, they already have the berries in their mouth, whereas the film has them just about to take them. Additionally, both Katniss and Peeta have lifelong injuries from their time in the games, but the films leave that out.
240	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The premise sounds like it's not for kids, but the books the film is based on are classified as Young Adult fiction, and the movie's rating and level of violence are toned down in keeping with that ([[spoiler:the scene where Rue is killed is much more graphic in the books]]).
241	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: In a way. It clearly does make political points and several issues are discussed, including socio-economic inequality, media manipulation, government corruption and incompetence, and BreadAndCircuses style politics. However, much like ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', both sides of the American political spectrum have loudly declared that [[StrawmanPolitical the Capitol represents the other party and Katniss represents themselves]] the minute the movie came out. Although they do parody American pop culture and especially reality TV, the books and movie are much more about marketing, imperialism, and one culture dominating another than any one nation's domestic politics.
242	* TheWoobie: Both Rue and Primrose, who are both killed by the enemy at such painfully young ages.
243	[[/folder]]

Context YMMV / TheHungerGames