Movie to Reality

            The movie Catching Fire is a story that revolves around the two recent winners of the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta, who must go on what is known as the Victor’s Tour wherein they visit all the districts. Along the way, a possible uprising was in the picture. So Peeta tells Katniss that she better make sure the she puts out all the flames or else all her loved ones will be in great danger. Unfortunately, she fails to do so. So the president decides to enact the so-called Quarter Quell, the right to make a change to the hunger games, which can happen every 25 years. The president decides to hold an edition of hunger games where previous victors are to compete. And of course Katniss and Peeta were the tributes for their district. But the president is secretly hoping that Katniss will be killed.

            Since the movie depicts a narrative that differs in many aspects from our own present and historical reality, the movie should be considered as science fiction. Futuristic technologies were used in the movie like the super trains, hovercrafts and the control room for the Hunger Games. Although some of these technologies may already be around us and have already been made possible, the way it was innovated and utilized by the people in the movie made it more “sci-fi” since today’s reality is not even close to what is it the movie.

            The thing that makes this movie interesting is that the whole movie portrays actions rooted from the past, the present and the future. The way bows and arrows and axes were used for hunting and for the games showed what was in the past. And not only that, the way society was violently divided into social classes where the rich and powerful takes over everything and handled by ruthless leadership also give us ideas from the past. It also depicts the present because the mentality of the people in the movie has similarities with what reality has today. Like the way they earn for a living and how their lifestyles area administered. And of course, the movie is a commentary of the future because of its advance technologies.

            Personally, in the world of the thirteen districts, I think science, technology and society generally failed. As part of the society, everyone must think that the purpose of those three is to make everyone’s life easier and better.  Improving one’s life alone or even just a part of the society cannot be considered a success especially if all the others are affected in a bad way. Science and technology should be an agent of keeping balance in the society and not to favor one side.

Joseph Emmanuel P. Lomibao

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