The Hunger Games

I finally got a chance to see the Hunger Games.  With all the hype around the DVD release, how could I not ... especially since I felt left out of all the buzz when the movie made it's future release.  And in fact I distinctly remember getting grief from my friends for not going to the theater since they all thought it was going to be the next big movie "brand".


As I hit the "on demand" button, I felt a sinking feeling of being disappointed.  Generally when you see a movie with this much attention after the fact, it's very anti-climatic.  Boy was I wrong.

I loved it.  Loved it.  The movie was so well written, so well designed, so well filmed ... it was a piece of art.   I loved it.

The best part?  I couldn't get over the parallels to reality television today, especially for some reason American Idol.  I just found the primping and the prodding and the rivalries and the drama so similar to American Idol.  The movie was such a great satirical story on the state of our current reality television.

Is it the next big movie "brand?"  Given the anticipation for the next installment, it just might be.  I have not seen a lot of spin off merchandise yet, but I imagine that is coming.

Did you see it?  What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
Author, The Experience Effect series
Professor, NYU