Compare how teenagers are represented in the action/fantasy genre looking at The Hunger Games

and The Amazing Spiderman.

In this essay I intent to compare how teenagers have been represented in the two films- The
Amazing Spiderman and The hunger games. Focusing mainly on the most prominent characters and
the scenes they feature in.
Both these films are in the genre Action Fantasy, in which you would expect to see two main
characters, often a boy and a girl. A romance is usually seen developed throughout the plot, which is
the stereotypical storyline of an Action Fantasy. The male in the film is nearly always represented as
a strong, heroic individual; there to save the day and sweep the girl off her feet in the process. Fast
moving action sequences are always present in this genre, with large amount of movement featured
in the scenes. The genre of Action Fantasy is fast paced, thrilling and has the intention of keeping the
audience on the edge of their seats. Both the Hunger Games and The amazing Spiderman push the
boundaries of this genre, especially the Hunger Games, which has a bold female lead as opposed to
the stereotypical male.
The plot for The Hunger Games is; in the dystopian nation of Panem, after a long, blood filled
rebellion, the country was split into 12 districts. Each year 2 tributes from every district is chosen to
fight to the death in their annual Hunger Games. When Katniss volunteers to save her sister, she
and her male counterpart Peeta are whisked away to the capital and thrust into the arena. After
much hardship and heartbreak Peeta and Katniss are crowned victorious.
In The Amazing Spiderman, when Peter Parker begins to uncover clues regarding to the untimely
death of his parents, he is led into the unknown. When faced by an old family friend known as Dr
Curt Connors, Peter sneaks away. He is bitten by a scientifically engineered spider, which gives him
unimaginable powers of strength and agility. In an attempt to cure himself of a missing limb Dr
Connors is changed into a huge, man eating lizard, wreaking havoc across the city. Peter takes it
upon himself to bring him down, and after some help from his love interest Gwen, is successful.
Katniss, the feisty lead role of The Hunger Games is represented as no ordinary female. With a
strong mind, and a will to succeed, she breaks the preconceived idea of women being the weaker
sex. With a wild protective attitude towards her sister and Rue (a tribute competing alongside her in
the games), she has a maternal, caring side to herself.
Katniss is portrayed as a hard, unloving individual, who has always had to fight for what she needs.
She shows are particular skill with a bow and arrow; proving this many times when she is forced to
hunt in the woods to prevent the starvation of her unbearably poor family. Resourcefulness is
another quality she is represented to possess, as she has the intuition and intelligence to tie herself
to trees, and make fires using the bare resources she can scavenge. Katnisses fiery temper and
opinionated tongue prove that she is a force to be reckoned with and should not be crossed without
caution.
Katnisses abilities and heroic actions are not the expected characteristics of a female teenager in an
Action Fantasy. She would be predicted to be weak, girly and in need a strong man to protect her,
but Katniss proves she is just as much a heroine as any man.
Peter the main character of The Amazing Spiderman is represented as a socially awkward geek with
a difference. Unlike the conventional nerd, he is willing to stick up for what he believes in. He defies
authority, and has a charming, but quirky sense of humour. He is not in possession of an athletic
ability, and is often taunted by school bullies, but unlike a normal geek, he is not afraid to speak his
mind and fight back if necessary.
The normal male character of an action fantasy is a masculine, self-assured man, brimming with
confidence, but peter is a twist on this, as he is an unsure, self-doubting teenager trying to find
himself and rediscover his past as he goes. He has no notable strength of heroism to his character,
but still wins over the audience with his sweet, innocent temperament.
Both the Main characters of The Hunger Games and The Amazing Spiderman, put a spin on the
stereotypical teenagers expected of this genre, but there are still noticeable differences. Peter is
represented to be full of hesitation, and a lack of self-belief, whereas Katniss is fully faithful in her
abilities almost to the point of arrogance. Katniss is skilful and has learnt most things the hard way,
but Peter has had a relatively sheltered life, receiving everything he wants.
Katniss represents teenagers as older than their time, and fully comfortable with themselves, which
is not necessarily the overall trend within real teenagers; she is very much the exception. Peter is
represented as a more relatable character, which teenagers may see parts of the selves in; his
uncertainty and nervousness and more like the average teen. Despite this, Peter and Katniss still
share similarities, including the urge to fight for the underdog. Both display these qualities when
protecting a more vulnerable person than themselves against a bully figure. This is a characteristic in
the vast majority of Action Fantasy films.
Gwen Stacy is the female love interest of Peter parker. She is represented as a well-educated, clever
young woman who has been raised in a well off, stable environment, much like Peter. With a sharp
mind, and a knack for science she shares this as a mutual interest with Peter. Stacy began to prove
herself, after acquiring a renowned apprenticeship with Science research facility Oscorp. There is a
certain air of mystery surrounding her, which attracts and intrigues the male characters and
audience- especially Peter. A witty, confident science of humour, she has far excelled her classmates,
sometimes singling her out and causing her to feel isolated.
She is represented throughout as the non-stereotypical geeky girl. Not like the normal females of
this genre, who would be unintelligent, passive, pretty girls; put there to look nice. Just like the other
characters in these films, she breaks the mould. When Peter is in trouble, she does not think twice
but steps in to help him, displaying a clear disregard for her own wellbeing in an attempt to help
another. The represents her as a heroic teenage girl, not the norm for and action/fantasy film.
Peeta is the second tribute to be chosen for the games alongside Katniss. With s long burning love
for her, he is represented as a slightly nave but well-meaning teenage boy just beginning to learn
how to be a man. He has many hidden talents, such as abnormal strength- which he demonstrates
during training where he throws an enormous weight across the room. This variety of abilities he has
acquired gains him some respect and admiration from other opponents.
Another feature Peeta is represented to have is selflessness. One example of this is when he tells
Katniss to take his life so she may win; he does this because he believes she is far more important
than his own life. This kind of self-sacrifice if often seen within this genre, and follows a pattern of
love that knows no bounds.
Both these characters display a willingness to help others in danger, but as with Katniss and Peter,
the female is clearly the stronger character mentally. Whereas Peeta is still growing into the person
he will become, Gwen is already mentally mature and has clear goals. Peeta is represented as a lost
soul, unsure of what the future may hold for him, he is willing to do nearly anything to save himself;
but Gwen sticks religiously to her principles without any thought of the possible repercussions.
Cato is a prominent male character in The Hunger Games. He is represented as a blood thirsty,
aggressive and ruthless killer. He has a distinct lack of humanity, and is often depicted as feeling no
real emotions. His thirst for blood and unstoppable mental state make him a source of terror to the
other contestants. In comparison, Flash from The Amazing Spiderman is represented much the
same to Cato, but not to such a severe extent. He possesses a bullying, nasty streak, showing a lack
of restraint towards his victims. Like Cato he struggles to control his anger and finds fun in
intimidating weaker victims. These two characters represent the evil side of teens and fall into the
jock category. Characters in this category are portrayed as athletically gifted, strong but most of all
superior over anyone else.
The Mise en Scene in each of these films appears generic, and obvious, but every tiny detail has
been meticulously planned out to represent the teenagers and their surrounding in a certain way.
The teenage extras in these films have been used to emulate the attitudes and characteristics of the
general population of teens- which we know is not what normal 13-19 year olds are actually like.
In The Hunger Games, camera angles such as birds eye view are used to represent the insignificance
of a character. This is used as Katniss is walking across the vast landscape in the arena. This displays
that despite her rebellion and clear disgust at the game makers, she is still and always will be a pawn
in their sick game; she has no escape and this shot demonstrates this in a powerful way. Whereas in
The Amazing Spiderman shots such as close-ups are used a great deal, to show the pain and emotion
a character is feeling. One example of this is the scene where Gwen and Peter are in the room
together. A look of pure love and admiration is painted across peters face, and this is shown to the
audience through a close-up shot.
The costume worn in The Amazing Spiderman is quite dull and the majority of teenagers are styled in
dark denim, toned down colours, with the occasional burst of yellow. This makes the groups of
people appear to blend and match with each other, representing them as one large class of people,
all similar and boring. Peter wears dark greens, blues; all earthy, neutral colours, this highlights an
effort to fit in and not to stand out from others. Although the clothes he wears are simple, they are
not what you would expect to see on your average geek (you would imagine him in socks and
sandals, button up tops, braces with flat hair), so consolidating further the message that he is
represented as no ordinary book worm.
In the Hunger Games the costume worn by the characters are very different from those seen in
other action/fantasy movies. The style is recreating the 1930s era, where a war was on and money
was scarce. The girls are clothed in powder blues, greys and beige dresses, all in the same loose
fitting, tucked-in-at-the-waist design. Their make-up is minimalistic and hair is always plaited and
pinned up. This 1930s look represents the teenagers as poor and old-fashioned, causing the whole
district to appear out-dated and stuck in the past. These outfits contrast dramatically with the
vibrant colours, excessive styles and bold make-up donned by the Capitol. Thus showing yet again
just how poor District 12 is.
The clothing worn in both these films contrasts each other massively. In The Amazing Spiderman
the teens are represented as modern, relatively well-off individuals, who can afford basic up-to-date
fashion, whereas The Hunger Games traditional costume represents the teenagers as people with a
lack of money, their priority is survival, not how they look. It has a more fantasy driven style,
creating an alternative world; the costume element of this film is one of the biggest features that
sets it apart from the Amazing Spiderman.
In the Reaping scene of the Hunger Games, the setting is in a large empty space surrounded by
factories. The buildings are prison like, all grey, uninspiring and in need of renovation. The whole
atmosphere is of disparity, there seems to be no prospects in a barren place like that. Everything is
dirty, shabby and industrial, the ground is dusty and there is no sign of care having been put into the
area for a long time. In comparison, in the School scene of The Amazing Spiderman the school looks
clean, profitable, and an inspiring place to be. Brightly coloured lockers and dcor is all around, and a
sense of safety is felt by the audience. This is a huge change from the life-less, hopeless surrounding
of the reaping scene. This represents the teenagers in these two films as being in very different
circumstances, the teenagers in The Amazing Spiderman are raised in a positive, encouraging
environment, surrounded by inspiration; in contrast the teens in The Hunger Games have been set
in a degrading, unstimulating environment.
In the background of the School scene, there are constant reminders of Peters lower social statues.
Posters are strategically placed behind him, featuring images of clubs and organisations (such as
French club) traditionally associated with nerds/the uncool kids. This adds to the representation of
peter as an intellectual science-lover, not a popular teenager.
In the reaping scene there is a distinct lack of music, the only sounds you can hear is the shuffling of
feet and heavy breathing, through the absence of non-diegetic sound in the majority of the scene,
the director of the film is trying to create the most realistic, lifelike scene. This is emphasising the
solemnity of the Reaping and the unenthusiastic, fearful attitude District 12 hold towards it. The only
non-diegetic sounds are near the end of the scene when peter is selected as tribute. The music is
solemn and is only played at a low level in the background; this non-diegetic sound has been used to
represent Katniss and Peter as teenagers who have come to the realisation that theyre going to lose
their life, the music raises the tension.
Whereas in the School scene there is a more prominent use of non-diegetic sound, it is upbeat and
pleasant to listen too. However, the music is not what you would normally hear in the charts, it is
not mainstream and is unusual; this fits with Peter, who himself is neither mainstream nor the norm.
The diegetic sounds in this scene are more overshadowed by the non-diegetic sounds; this is done to
accentuate the lively atmosphere.
At the point in the scene where a circle has formed around Peter and Flash, the vast majority of
teenagers are represented as bullying, harsh individuals with no compassion or regard for a persons
well-being. They form a classic bully circle, intimidating anyone willing to disagree with their
encouragement. With the use of this taunting, barbaric overview of teens it represents them as bad
people, emphasising the good qualities in Peter and Gwen, who are the only ones not to follow
everyone and bow down to authority.
In the Reaping scene the audience is shown how the crowds of teenagers are represented in a way
which makes them look fearful and anxious. The general tone of the scene is on edge; set in a
hopeless place, where grave occurrences are about to happen, and not one has any control over it.
The camera captures a medium shot of the girls awaiting the reaping. The girls have been sectioned
off into age groups, although their clothes are all almost identical. This makes a blur of dull dresses
and sad expressions; this medium shot manages to acquire a small but powerful message of the
oppression and the darkness surrounding these teenagers.
These scenes both show the unfeeling, ruthless side of teens.
In other action/fantasy films, teens are represented very differently from these two films. For
example in Harry Potter, where the lead is a heroic male, who excels in everything he does, is
popular, and loved by everyone. The teenagers in this film are kind, self-sacrificing and show a great
deal of devotion to a great cause, whereas in both the Hunger Games and The Amazing Spiderman
other teens are represented as heartless, untrustworthy human beings. This shows the audience
how these two films do not fit the mould for the stereotypical Action/Fantasy film. Compared with
real teenagers, these characters are not particularly realistic. Their heroic natures and disregard for
authority would only represent the tinniest proportion of real life teens.
To conclude, the teenage characters in these two films are both represented very differently from
one another. This is seen between all the different characters, and marks a clear difference in the
relatability of the films. In The Amazing Spiderman the teens are more like what you would expect
of this age group, theyre also set in a time we can understand better than in The Hunger Games.
In this film, the teenage audience would struggle to see a great amount of relation to themselves in
people such as Katniss or Cato. In this film the teenage characters are more farfetched and less
lifelike. This is down mainly to the fact that it is set in a dystopian world, and not a world created to
mimic our own. These two films share both large similarities, but also great differences which set
them apart.