There might be some spoilers!    

I just saw The Hunger Games this past weekend at the midnight premiere. I read the books over the summer and quickly fell in love with them so needless to say I was dying to see the movie. My friends and I got tickets as soon as we found out it was showing at the local movie theater and we anxiously for 12am Friday morning. As I sat in the movie theater, I didn’t think anything of the angle shots or who stood on the right, center, or middle. I just sat, watched and enjoyed every second of it.

After reading “How to Read a Movie” by Roger Ebert, I got to thinking about The Hunger Games and I began to analyze the movie. I pulled up the movie trailer and immediately saw similarities to Ebert’s article.  He says, “A person located somewhat to the right of center will seem ideally placed. A person to the right of that position will seem more positive; to the left, more negative. A centered person will seem objectified, like a mug shot” and as I watch, I noticed multiple times were Katiniss was placed on the left. For example, in the picture below Katniss sits on the left of Gale as they sit in the woods discussing the reaping on the day of the ceremony. Viewers already are aware that Katniss goes into the arena and Gale does not, therefore Katniss is the negative one.

Furthermore, Katniss is seen in multiple shots in which she is seen to be standing “slightly to the right of center”. Ebert says this is the ideal position for any character and because Katniss is the protagonist of the movie, it would be appropriate for her to stand in such a position.

Even more so, there is a shot of Katniss being led down the hall by Peace Keepers at the district and she is smack dab in the middle of them. According to Ebert, center means she is ‘objectified’, meaning she is like an object. And that is exactly what Katniss is–She is a pawn in a game the Capital likes to play.

And finally, we have the big kiss between Katniss and Peeta. Will they or won’t they? That’s the big question going through viewers minds as we watch Katniss care of Peeta’s wounds and risk her life for his medicine. Oh so romantic, but where’s the kiss? Finally, after much awaited time, their lips meet and the moment finally arrives. Now I don’ want to over analyze this but…Ebert says, “The top is dominant over the bottom” and when Katniss and Peeta kiss, she leans over his and is essentially ‘on top’ (don’t think dirty!), therefore making her the more dominant one. And isn’t she? I mean Peeta never would have survived without her. Furthermore, we can refer make to tropes which are clichéd scenes that happen in movies or T.V. shows. If we look at the first kiss trope, we see that it “tend to be made in times of high stress”. And that’s exactly what leads to Katniss and Peeta’s first kiss. Kiss and receive gifts from sponsors or die. What would you choose? Life or death?

So in conclusion, I hope I didn’t over analyze the entire movie for you. Don’t get me wrong it was a great movie, but after reading into the different angles and what they mean, it is so easy to see how they fit into any movie. So the next time you flip through the channels or sit down to watch a movie, see if you can see any similarities to what you just read. It will amaze you to see how every movie is just about the same.