The Girl Week Blogathon

Dell over at dell on Movies has once again offered up an awesome blogathon for us to get our teeth into, this time it's Girl Week.  You can find the original post here:

The rules are simple and as follows:

1. Create a post about a film with a female lead character.  It can be a review, but does not have to be one. If it is a review, it doesn't have to be a positive one as I personally did not like every film I'm going to be showcasing this week. However, you are welcome to talk about women in any capacity relating to film.
2. Use one of the banners I created, or feel free to create one of your own.
3. Link back to this post.
4. Leave a link to your post in the comments section below.
5. Have fun!

I can't think of a better female protaganist than Katniss Everdeen and as I am super excited about the final movie release this weekend, it seemed daft not to comment on the series.  

If you don't know about them The Hunger Games is a trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, recently made into four movies with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role.  Katniss Everdeen spends her life providing for her younger sister and mother and when Prim, her sister gets called up to xxx in The Hunger Games she willingly volunteers to take her place.  The Hunger Games is an annual event where 12 girls and 12 boys between 12 and 18 are pitted against each other in an arena for both entertainment and to keep control of the lower classes in Panem.  It's a terrifying concept and yes the people of the Capitol watch it on the TV as if its Keeping up with the Kardasians, not young children being slaughtered by each other.

I read the books before the movies were even a blip on the radar and straight away I loved Katniss, I liked the idea that she wasn't always being saved by men, she was the fighter and particularly in the first book/movie she was the one saving everyone.  After the popularity of books and movie trilogies like Twilight and Divergent, where the woman is not safe until protected by a big strong man (or two!) it was refreshing to come across a character who could take care of herself and even the people around her.  

Although she is a strong female character, it has become apparent to me over the course of reading the books and watching the movies that in the world of Panem there actually is a level of gender equality.  The Capitol put together 12 girls and 12 boys in an arena and its considered a fair fights, there are the Careers (volunteers who have trained their whole life to be pulled up and fight) and the regular participants and that is the only divide line.  There is no mention of gender in the commentary nor a question when it becomes apparent that Katniss could win.

I may have gone a little off topic here, but I love the idea that Katniss is both a compassionate, heartfelt character that takes care of her little Sister and Rue but also intelligent, strong and skillful enough to win the Hunger Games against 23 (or 22 dependin on how you look at it!) others.