Hunger Games film fills seats with eager fans
Moments before midnight, a gasp arose from the people surrounding the escalators leading up to the Carousel Center movie theaters.
Everyone’s eyes found Elizabeth Brydges in a sea of black T-shirts and blue jeans. Streamers hung from her vibrant red dress and glitter covered her body. Like ‘The Hunger Games’ heroine Katniss Everdeen, she was Syracuse’s very own Girl on Fire.
‘The Hunger Games’ film, inspired by the book and released March 23 at midnight, has received media attention comparable to the recent ‘Twilight Saga.’ Schine Student Center provided busing to Carousel Center for SU students for the midnight screening Friday.
Brydges, a sophomore marketing major, anticipated the movie release for quite some time.
‘I have been counting down the minutes, the days, the weeks,’ she said. ‘I am so excited.’
Earlier in the day, Brydges stopped by CVS to purchase materials for her costume. Upon hearing her friend was putting together a full-fledged costume for Effie Trinket, a colorful character in the film, Brydges realized she should dress up, too.
The scene she was most excited for was when Everdeen’s outfit appears to burst into flame. Her outfit was the costume she aimed to create.
‘I’m going to try to make this fire-looking thing,’ she said. ‘It’s going to be an attempt.’
And attempt she did. Among hundreds of preteens wearing the same black T-shirt with a picture of a gold mocking jay pin, Brydges‘ outfit stole the show along with her costumed counterparts: Maria Dell’Anno, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major, dressed as Trinket; and Jon Corton, a sophomore acting major, dressed as Peeta Mellark. Corton carried a loaf of bread in homage to the character’s background as the son of a baker.
Brydges is a loyal fan of the original book series and of Suzanne Collins’ writing. Magazine posters adorn her dorm room walls. Her brother purchased essays exploring deeper meanings of the books. She looked forward to seeing it displayed on the silver screen.
As she talked about the different aspects of the books, she touched upon the love triangle between characters Katniss Everdreen, Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark. She even found herself trapped in the triangle.
‘I think I’m team Gale as a whole,’ she said. ‘But I definitely can admit to switching back and forth as I was reading.’
Once the film started, the audible reactions that filled the theater almost overpowered the movie. Every time Everdeen spent screen time with her love interests, ‘oohs’ drowned out the film’s audio. Loud cooing from the crowd always accompanied images of Rue, Katniss’ young and adorable ally.
‘I loved it,’ Brydge said. ‘It was definitely different from the book, which I went in thinking it would be, so that was fine. I was interested with what they took out and what they didn’t elaborate on.’
As exhibited by the excitement of Elizabeth Brydges, ‘The Hunger Games’ affected many young adult readers, and this movie gave readers a chance to see the book come to life.
Published on March 25, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Chelsea: cedebais@syr.edu | @CDeBaise124
