♪ (ragtime music) ♪
- (Katniss) I understand that whatever I do it comes back to you and mom.
I don't want you to get hurt.
- Mystery?
- (Prim) Since the last games... - Interesting movie.
- ...something's different.
- I love Morgan Freeman.
- (Prim) Hope.
- (President Snow) She's not who they think she is.
She has to be eliminated. - I love Sutherland. He's always good.
- (Gale) I'm staying here. - Hatch... ooh, yum.
- (President Snow) Here we are in the games, Miss Everdeen.
- Ooh! That hurt.
(wincing) That left a mark.
- (Katniss) What do I need to do? - I love that gal, that young gal there.
- (President Snow) The tributes are to be reaped
from the existing pool of victors.
- That one was wearing a Lady Gaga costume.
- Boy scout sign!
- Where did they film this?
- (Flickerman) The 75th Hunger Games! - Oh!
- They don't look very hungry.
- Yeah, they get-- what is it-- one weekend to kill anybody they want?
- Unbelievable.
- It looks like a lot of special effects.
- (Katniss) Any last advice?
- Oh, she is lethal and pretty. (chuckles)
- That's the angel of death.
Wasn't she in American Horror Story?
- "The world... has been waiting for..."
- From this trailer, it's not something I would see.
- It's supposed to be better than the first one.
- Well, that looks more than awesome!
- Oh! I'm all a-twitter!
- I think I've seen that. That's been out a while, right?
- (Finebros) Well, this is a sequel. - The sequel? Okay! (laughs)
I think I saw the first one.
(movie reel clicks)
- (Finebros) So have you heard of The Hunger Games?
- Hunger Games? No, I have not.
- I've heard of the movie, yeah.
- Who hasn't heard of The Hunger Games?
- I've heard of it, yeah, but I've never actually seen one of their films.
- I think it was my kids that told me about it
and... oh, god, I don't know about that.
- Yes, I went to see it.
And I couldn't figure out why everyone was so excited about it.
- I didn't know if it was a book or a video game or a--
I'm sorry, guys, I'm so out of it.
- (Finebros) Have you read the books? - No.
- (Finebros) Did you know they were books? - Uh, no.
- (Finebros) Why have you chosen not to watch or read The Hunger Games?
- Because I know nothing about it.
- I've just been reading other things.
- Kind of not my demographic.
- It has absolutely no appeal to me.
I don't want to put money in their pockets.
- It looks like what's coming, so I don't want to see it. (laughs)
We have anarchy on its way-- or tyranny.
One of the two.
It doesn't look like it's gonna be in-between.
- (Finebros) You haven't seen the movie or read the books
but for fun can you explain to me in as much detail as you can
what you think The Hunger Games is about?
- You know, here we go again with another world. A new world.
- It's a game you play...
when you're hungry. (everyone laughs)
- Maybe it's sort of like a Nazi theme.
- Looks like Donald Sutherland was trying
to be the leader and protect this girl,
and I don't know where Morgan Freeman came in.
- (Finebros) So The Hunger Games is about a dystopian society...
- You mean like now!
...where the ruling government,
to oppress the people and show that they have all the power,
hold a lottery every year where two kids, aged 12 to 18
from every part of the world, gets selected and they have
to all fight in an arena to the death. - Why?
- Do you think our government should do that? (laughs)
- That's the good part about being an elder,
is I'll be (mimics slitting throat) by the time that's reality.
- (Finebros) Specifically, it's also about a girl named Katniss
and she has become a resistance figure against the government
after she wins the Hunger Games. - Okay.
- (Finebros) So what do you think about hearing all this as a plot?
- Well, it's somewhat interesting.
Not particularly something I'd go to see a lot of.
- Looks like it's going to be a-- can I say kick ass?
Is that okay? (laughs)
It looks like it's going to be a kick ass movie.
- Having a female win is great
because men are usually stronger than women.
- It's not much different than what we do in war.
We send children.
I was 19 when I first entered into full combat.
- It's not a plot that I would embrace
but I think it's a plot that's based a little too closely to our reality.
- (Finebros) If you were chosen to fight in The Hunger Games
do you think you'd survive? - Oh, yeah.
- I would fight like hell.
- I'd be screwed if I was the one chosen, unless another weakling was chosen.
- I'm not that strong these days.
In my prime, even if I couldn't, I believed I could.
- Well... meh, I was a pretty good girl scout.
I had, you know, merit badges for things.
- (Finebros) Fire? - Gift wrapping?
- I would try like hell to survive.
Get them before the games even start,
like knife them in the back where they're sleeping!
- (Finebros) What would be your strategy to try to actually win?
- Not show up. (laughs)
- I would go with my basic philosophy in life and that is:
When in danger, when in doubt, scream and holler, run and shout.
- Be extremely kind and thoughtful to everyone you meet
and also be prepared to kill them.
- (Finebros) So you're prepared to kill us right now, Bill?!
- Pretty much, yeah. (everyone laughs)
(explosion) ♪ (thrash metal) ♪
(eagle screeches) (gunfire)
- (Finebros) So let me show you some pictures of the main characters.
So here's Jennifer Lawrence's character, Katniss.
- Oh, she's good.
- Katniss? I've never heard that name before.
- Yeah, I wouldn't mind putting her up for election.
- As an older gentleman who respects beauty,
she's number one on my list right now.
- Anything that the arts can do to present a woman in this light,
I think I'm just all for it.
- (Finebros) And then there's always the big debate over which guy
Katniss should end up being with romantically.
So what do you think? Should she be with Peeta or Gale?
- Peeta.
- I'd go with Peeta.
- Gale.
- I like the dark-haired guys. I would say Gale.
No Paul Newman for me.
- Gale looks like my type. (everyone laughs)
- I can't choose. Can she have them both?
- I don't know why she shouldn't do a threesome.
She's probably capable.
- (Finebros) So The Hunger Games probably is
the biggest thing right now for teenagers.
Why do you think they resonate so much with this story?
- Well, I think they're a violent bunch.
- Teenagers revolt. Period.
They have their own thoughts, own ideas.
I think it comes from our liberal universities and schooling.
- That is indicative of where we are as a society.
We place very little value on life.
- Look who the actors are. They're that age group.
Everybody wants to be a hero at something.
- (Finebros) Is it okay for a violent film to be popular with the youth?
- Well, I don't know how you could keep them away from it.
- I feel filmmakers can make what they want to make.
I don't believe in that kind of censorship.
- Well, hopefully it'll promote a greater enlistment in the military.
I think the kids today don't understand
that serving the country is an honor.
- This is the outlet so kids won't get bored
and go smoke pot behind the driving school,
at the high school, and go home
and do this instead, and then study calculus.
That's what I did.
- We're practicing our techniques at killing and laughing at it.
And really, in a war situation, it's far from that.
Far, far from a laughing matter.
- This geared at teens reinforces to teens
that violence is just part of everyday life.
I think the message, if there is a good message,
is totally lost because they're consumed by the violence.
- Going back to some of the kids shows, historically back,
it was a competition among kids,
and now it's evolved into something perhaps more serious.
But in my deepest heart, I don't think so.
I think it's just entertainment.
- (Finebros) Finally, the movie is number one at the box office.
Will you go see it? - No.
- Probably not.
- I would expect so.
- Yeah! Absolutely!
- Probably not.
- No, I'd rather see Gravity.
- Doesn't look like the kind of movie I'd want to see.
- Well now I'm intrigued, so I just might do that.
- Oh, I think I might do that. It looks like it's pretty fun.
- By gosh, I will.
IF the price is right.
Good name for a television show.
- Thank you so much for watching Elders React.
New episodes of React come out all the time.
Make sure that you're signed up!
- Happy Hunger Games, everyone!
- Boy scouts! Boy scouts!
I'll do my best to do my duty to God and my country!
And to obey the Scout Law. There you go!
- May the odds be in thou's favor-- favor.
♪ (ragtime music) ♪