Before You See The Hunger Games

Whether you've read the books or not, there's a good chance you're going to see The Hunger Games this weekend. And if it isn't this weekend, it will be sometime. It's gonna be one of those movies that will be difficult to avoid seeing at some point in your life. But, please, heed my words before seeing the movie.

Please don't boil the plot down to the somewhat less than important issue of what guy Katniss should be with.

Yes, Katniss a powerful lead character in a compelling story. And yes, she has two eligible suitors vying for her affections. I know that will tempt many of you out there to draw comparisons to the inferior Twilight series of books and films. Keep in mind, this is not Twilight.

But it's already happening. I'm seeing people on the internet talking about what team they're on. People are tweeting "TEAM PEETA" or "TEAM GALE." Please, stop it.

I get choosing sides when it comes to Bella Swan's unfortunate fictional life. Those stories have nothing else to lean on but the pathetic love triangle between a vampire, a werewolf, and a girl who cannot convey emotion through facial expression.

The Hunger Games is about so much more than a love triangle. In fact, and I could be wrong, it's my opinion that that little plot thread was thrown in so the books could be marketed to a young audience. Take the romance out, and you have an awesome action/thriller about a girl who is desperately trying to survive in this horrible world that the government had created. Think about all the violence involved in the arena. Should that really be something we are giving to our pre-teens to read in gruesome detail?

But could you really sell a book about a 16 year old girl to a strictly adult audience? I doubt it. So throw in a romance angle and you have millions of teenage girls swooning across America. Now you can put the book on the shelf right next to Twilight. And publishing history is made.

I assume the movie, like the book, features a girl who sets her world on fire. She's smart. She's tough. She's compassionate and loyal and will do anything to protect the people she cares about. She's this decade's answer to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. By comparing Katniss' story to Twilight based on a stupid love triangle, you dare to compare Katniss to Bella, and that is unforgivable.