Reaction Paper – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The movie, The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire, is an adventure film based on Suzanne Collins’ novel, Catching Fire. This film is the sequel to The Hunger Games that belong in The Hunger Games Trilogy.

 From the creative mind of Suzanne Collins made this story undeniably a science fiction. The world of the 13 districts differs from our everyday world. The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic nation called Panem. Collins was able to write her novel as she was inspired from what she saw as she did channel surfing on television.  Such visions were from a reality show and from news involving the invasion in Iraq. Thus, these visions were noticeable in her novel and the depicted film. On the other hand, she also based her creations from the Greek myth of Theseus as she described Katniss as a futuristic Theseus and such framework was provided with Roman gladiatorial games. The film may have based and used things from the real world but such imaginative mind made it a science fiction. The advancement in science and technology itself is too much if we compare and align it with our today’s knowledge.

The film may have also based on the past especially in wars like in Vietnam and Iraq. More than that, it aligns with the aspects and angles over Ancient Greek times. However, the film’s nature as a science fiction already depicts itself as a commentary on future human society. But then, how could we differentiate future and past without the measurement of time but by just interpreting merely its characteristics? Most inventions and discoveries we have now are rooted from imaginative minds of the philosophers of the past and the scientists of today’s time. The extreme advancement in science and technology that is depicted in the film is most probably the result of Collin’s imagination that she actually based from such observations that are actually from the past. Thus, we could only imagine things in the future based from our past. We use the concept of cause-effect for the creation of future in which Collins used as she drew an idea from combined aspects of several past events.  Poverty is easily witnessed in their world and such situation drives the people too much under the Capitol which is comparable to slavery that people is rooting for their rebellion. The mode of government lead by President Snow could also be compared from the past especially for Greek times. Well, the idea of science and technology still leads their world as commentary on the future.

Science, technology and society may have succeeded in the world of the 13 districts in many aspects especially through science and technology. However, such things have failed in the most important one which is the humanitarian aspect. Science and technology may have been advanced but used in a wrong way. Things are just used for several people taking advantage but not for the entire people in which poverty and rebellion are the best evidences.