On Catching Fire The Movie

by: Joben Ryan A. Padre 2013-42972

             A movie like Catching Fire which contains scenarios involving force fields, computer-controlled arenas, bullet-like trains, virtually generated animals, tidal waves, thunderstorms, and the like, is definitely a science-fiction. I’m not saying that these themes are impossible to create in real life, but they seem far-fetched to exist today. The film basically showed the possible effects and consequences of science and technology in a highly developed world. However, since it is still fiction, what the film reflected are mere expectations and projections on how science may look like in years to come, and its positive and negative effect on humans and the world as a whole.

On whether the film reflected the human society of the past, present, and/or future, it depends on which areas we consider and how we see such comparisons. When we take into account the past, we realize that slavery was dominant back in the days, and this type of oppression was seen as the Capitol bullied the lower districts. As this type of tyranny took place in human history, we saw the people from lower “districts” or the ones being enslaved revolt against their specific captors. A good example of this is the Philippine revolution against our many conquerors. This took place little by little as the story of The Hunger Games went on. A good comparison can somewhat be drawn between Katniss Everdeen and Jose Rizal since they both served as inspirations to people. When we look at our present situation, we can see how unrighteous government officials get higher and higher on the food chain on the expense of the less fortunate citizens. In the movie, this abuse is shown as President consistently imposed his own will and brutally tried to stop the booming revolutions. The film also projected the future of mankind. It is obvious that from a science and technology standpoint, the film depicts what innovations and developments could come in the next centuries to come. That is the good part about the story being our future.

What’s frightening is the possibility that in the next generations, a specific pecking order would exist among people of various “districts” and inequality among humans would be as evident as ever. Catching Fire somehow gave us an image of the past, an interpretation of the present, and a forecast of the future.

In the world of the 13 districts, Panem, the main components were typically Science, Technology, and Society. The movie showed that if the power of one of these elements gets out of hand, the others tend to revolt in order to maintain the equilibrium of the country. This is why in a nation like Panem and in our very own Earth as well, the balance between man and his inventions is vital in maintaining peace, order, and prosperity.