I’ve read all of Suzanne Collin’s books, and I would say the
second one is the best. The movie did a great adaptation of the book, and
watching in IMAX was worth every peso spent. Getting a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes
isn’t a small feat to achieve.
As far as entertainment goes, Catching Fire was indeed a spectacle, boasting of great scenes, alternating monochromatic and colorful visuals to highlight contrasting moods and intense portrayal of emotions such as grief, anger and hopelessness that did justice to what was written in the book.
So was Catching Fire a science fiction movie/novel? Short answer is yes. The Wikipedia page even says so. But let me defend that answer by giving characteristics of a Sci-fi evident in the film:
1. It is set in a post-apocalyptic society after an unknown catastrophe has occurred.
As far as entertainment goes, Catching Fire was indeed a spectacle, boasting of great scenes, alternating monochromatic and colorful visuals to highlight contrasting moods and intense portrayal of emotions such as grief, anger and hopelessness that did justice to what was written in the book.
So was Catching Fire a science fiction movie/novel? Short answer is yes. The Wikipedia page even says so. But let me defend that answer by giving characteristics of a Sci-fi evident in the film:
1. It is set in a post-apocalyptic society after an unknown catastrophe has occurred.
2. The
said society contains futuristic technology that is currently unattainable and unexplainable
by modern science.
Was it a commentary on past, present or future societies? It
is set in a post-apocalyptic future, more specifically, it is future Earth,
when the land has been terraformed and what we consider as modern society has
ceased to exist, and the film and the books narrate what its replacement.
However, I would argue that they contain elements of the past and the present
as well. It shows us a country run by a dictatorship, and the lives of the people
living under that regime, which I would say, is a commentary on past and
present military states such as North Korea, and Hitler’s Third Reich.
It also comments on the huge disparity between the social
classes, something that is still quite evident today. The rich citizens of the
Capitol live a life of debauchery, blind to the hardships of the people of the
District. The Capitol citizens live a life of abundance and entertainment, at
the expense of the 13 lesser states.
Lastly, did Science, Technology and Society fail or succeed
in the thirteen districts? Technology is the use of science in order to achieve
a goal, usually to solve a problem. Technology enables people to adapt and harness
the resources of their natural environment. Technology is supposed to make our
lives better, in theory. But that is not always the case, because ultimately,
science and technology are tools. Tools that can be used for good, but can also
be used for malice, and that is what happened in the world of the 13 Districts.
Technology was coupled with bad politics. Technology was used to take away the
freedom of the people. It was used to divert resources in surplus to a few,
while leaving the majority without. Weapons were created and monstrosities wear
made to wreak havoc and control people by fear.
Scientific advancement was a success in Panem that much is
true. They have gotten beyond what our modern society can accomplish. But the
adaption of that technology failed it’s people.
“A Reaction Paper on the Hunger Games Series: Catching Fire”
TumugonBurahinThe Hunger Games series was most of the most popular adaptation of science fiction, acclaimed by millions. However, it was not only because of amazing graphics and a wonderfully made plot that made this movie worthy of praise. The beauty of the Hunger Games comes from its deep message regarding social realities that are faced by many citizens of the world today and its message of hope that freedom and rightfulness will always prevail.
The movie adaptation of a Catching Fire clearly depicted the elements of a science fiction, with its highly futuristic setting and advanced forms of technology especially as exemplified in the Capitol, which is the capital of the thirteen districts. Furthermore, it is also set in a universe that operated differently from current society given their customs of looking for tributes and the culture of fear and discipline that citizens must embody or else face very dire consequences. They had a different social, cultural and political setting different from that of today. However, compared to other renowned literature of science fiction such as Star Wars and X-men, it is also evident that it is not as heavy in being a science fiction compared to these movies that really had fictional characters such as mutants, aliens and technology that have not yet been discovered in present time. The Hunger Games were not as “futuristic” compared to these movies.
Aforementioned, Hunger Games operated in a world where fear was instilled in the thirteen districts manifested through their bad governance allowing them to live in harsh conditions and the practice of the Hunger Games, where one volunteer is chosen from the twelve districts to a duel to death. The benefits of a good society can only be felt by the citizens of the Capitol. This is where we can see the success and failure of the thirteen districts. First, it is evident that the society of the twelve districts were in poverty, where their citizens are constantly suffering. However, despite this, the twelve districts had a strong civic culture, evidenced by their courage to fight against the Capitol, even with the risk of death and as exemplified by the Catching Fire where the citizens are clearly gaining hope, spearheaded by Katniss Everdeen. This is where they can potentially succeed.
The situation of the thirteen districts depicted realities that were felt in the past and still exist until the present. First in the extremes, tyrannical governments were existent in the past and present such as that in countries in the Middle East like Syria, Libya and Myanmar and even in the Philippines. On the lesser level, bad governance is prevalent in several countries like the Philippines, India, North Korea where citizens face the problems of corruption and deprivation of civil liberties. However, reviewing the society as a whole, the Hunger Games is a clear depiction of the strength of the citizens to fight back against abusive leaders and their power to bring back their dignity as human beings. All of these come together to give the prediction of how society evolves together with all of its elements which includes citizens and governance.