Remember who the enemy is

Photo taken from moonfirecharms.com

          I was very excited to watch the second instalment of The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, not only because of the hype and the well-made trailers but also because I really liked reading the books from which the movies were adapted from. In fact, I have already watched the movie even before the announcement that it is required for STS.

Suzanne Collins laid out a blueprint for a futuristic complex nation known as Panem (the country containing the 12 districts and the capitol). The technological advancements evident in the use of different Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) serve as a testament that such methods or materials are impossible to execute in the present world. Examples range from the bullet trains Peeta and Katniss rode as part of their victory tour at the start of the movie, to the flaming dress Katniss wore for the occasion and the archery training tools used to prepare themselves for the Quarter Quell. Hence, Catching Fire can be considered under the Science Fiction genre.

            On another point of view, the film tackled and exposed the different problems surfacing in the present human society. Set in the post-apocalyptic dystopian era where the Capitol reigns and dictates, the movie exploits how the society would rise upon oppression when greed is shared among few people only. History is a testament that no ruler, no matter how great and charismatic he is, would be able to stay in power only for long. Cliché as it may be, but even the great fall down sometimes, as exhibited by the decline of the once-significant Roman, Persian and British empires. The concept that power can be blinding isn’t alien to us Filipinos as the memories of Martial Law remain fresh in our hearts and minds. In fact, the idea of term limits contained in the 1987 Constitution serves as a response to the 20 long years of tyranny under the once-great Marcos regime.

            The film ends on a cliff-hanger where the viewers were only able to witness the beginning of the end for the Capitol and the regime of President Snow. Science and technology was doomed to fail as it was used for personal purposes such as the annual hunger games instead of accounting for the better benefit of the citizens.  The supposed to be “utopian” and ideal society turned into “dystopian” and chaotic because the main goal of technology, which was to improve lives, was put into wrong context. It was the Capitol’s thirst to stay in power that obstructed science and technology from accomplishing their missions.

Having not yet read the third and last book of the trilogy, I really cannot wait for the Mockingjay to come out and surprise me on the fate of Panem. May the odds be ever in their favor.