An excellent role model for girls

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2014)

Katniss Everdeen is the hero that girls have been waiting for. She is strong, self-reliant, fearless, independent, and a leader. She is no female supporting character to some beefcake macho dude with an ego the size of Texas that has megalomania stamped all over it (eg, Tony Stark/Iron Man). She is the de facto leader of a rebellion against an authoritarian, autocratic state that beats its citizens into submission. When I read the book I felt thrilled and even proud that a writer has finally created a story about a powerful young woman in a role that is conventionally reserved for men...at least in Hollywood. Katniss doesn't allow her world to revolve around any boy. She has far more serious problems and romance generally takes a backseat to other priorities. But she is deeply loyal to her friends.
I am looking forward to "Mockingjay" and hope that the director will do the book justice and present Katniss as the reluctantly capable and adored hero that she is in the book. Katniss is a modern-day Joan of Arc but without the religious overtones and virginal connotations. She is just a normal, red-blooded young woman with two love interests and lots of courage! While the directing has some issues and the book seems like it may have plagiarized some elements from another book, this isn't the film's fault.
When I read the harshly negative, overly critical reviews of this film here I can't help but wonder if it's coming from some emotionally adolescent man fuming at the existence of a strong female action hero who isn't designed to cater to men, but to instead be an inspiration to women and most of all, girls.