The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Reaction Paper)

YBUD, Franz Raimund T.
2008-21932
05 December 2013

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

So I went and watched Catching Fire last Friday and going in, I had some expectations of the film since I’ve already read the trilogy years prior. Particularly, I was excited to see Finnick, Johanna, and the actual arena seeing as to it’s one of the main reasons which made Catching Fire the best story in the trilogy.  Overall, the film felt heavy and it also felt quite compressed in my opinion.

                Now before I answer the question whether the film was sci-fi or not, I would just like to point out that everything that is presently categorized as “sci-fi” has just simply not been invented or perfected yet. With that being said, the film, for the most part, is indeed sci-fi with its state-of-the-art Hunger Games arenas and the gamemakers headquarters which controls every aspect of the arena including the weather, the elements, the topography, and the various scientifically mutated species known as “mutts”.  Another supporting factor that establishes Panem as a sci-fi world is the level of technology that is present and available within the Capitol. A few examples are their holographic feeds and the top-of-the-line training facility for the tributes. Fashion also has a touch of sci-fi to it thanks to the dresses made by Cinna in the first two films.

                I think the film is a commentary of past, present, and future human societies since the themes shown in the film present parallelisms with how our societies work in one aspect or another. Take the oppressive rule of the Capitol for instance; there have been many cases of the same circumstances found in our world history and it’s still going on now in some places with varying degrees of oppression. Another theme would be the hierarchy between the Capitol and the Districts, and amongst the Districts themselves. They say history repeats itself and it seems to be holding true with respect to how our societies continue to operate.

                Science and technology within Panem clearly succeed due to their numerous technological advancements in fields like communication and transportation. But those advancements are not made accessible to everyone. And that's where their society fails. These advanced technologies are only available to the Capitol and probably to the Career Districts as well, like District 1 and 2. If you step into one of the other Districts, like say 12, it would seem like you were living in the past rather than the world it belongs to which is clearly set in the future. A place like that coexisting alongside a city of luxury and lavish lifestyles like the Capitol is clearly a failure in human society.