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In Reply to: RE: SF Paper review... posted by mkuller on November 24, 2014 at 10:50:32:
Here's another:
CONTAINS SPOILERS
Let me also be more explicit about the movie. The story has always been of an oppressed society in which the Capital is a hedonistic empire reeking of corruption and cruelty and the outer districts are variously rich or poor and completely subjected to the Capital's needs.In order to keep order, the Capital reenacts a brutal game designed to remind the outlying districts of their subjugation to the Capital and to sacrifice young members of the districts based purely on chance.
Katniss is a member of a very poor district whose main purpose is to mine coal. Her father died years ago in a mine explosion and her mother basically became catatonic. Katniss had to help her mother and sister survive. To do so, in this district where starvation and death are real parts of their lives, Katniss learned to hunt (a crime in the district) along with selling her game on the burgeoning black market.
In order to feed their families, the potential victims of the Hunger Games acquire more chances for being picked for extra rations of food. Katniss tries to protect her sister by doing this and providing extra food for her family. Katniss is totally family-centric and completely oblivious to the other things going on around her such as the attention of some peers and the figure she cuts as a confident hunter.
So her sister is picked in the games along with a boy who is a secret admirer of hers and who helped her when she was desperate for food. Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place (a move unheard of in her district) and to take on the richer districts' career recruits (people who train and volunteer for the games for the glory).
Flashing forward to the second/book/movie, Katniss has gained the ire of President Snow who sees her as a symbol of rebellion despite the fact that Katniss herself does not see the impact she has on others. He personally threatens her and tells her to play up the pretend romance she has with Peta or that he will kill her, Peta and their friends and family. She does what she does out of fear but the revolution is happening without her. Her presence is a powderkeg despite her attempt and intentions to do nothing. It is a combination of what people believe she stands for, the terrible conditions, and the continued crackdown of the Capital making the condition combustible.
At the end of the second book/movie, Katniss has been recruited against her will and her knowledge by a rebellion. Katniss still is a completely oblivious and family-centric person. She does not understand the revolution or the personally sacrifice others are making for it. The movies are full of scenes where individuals sacrifice their lives for the movement willingly and yet Katniss is stuck on her family and the people important to her. The fact that her possibly romantic friend (and it is unclear whether Katniss really knows or understands what love is) is held by the Capital is an affront to her because the people around her (and who co-opted her into the rebellion) promised to keep Peta safe and did not. She is paralyzed by this as is another victor (victim) whose love is also held by the Capital.
President Snow (interesting term since he is definitely more of a king than president) makes the rebellion and war personal against Katniss even though she is simply being blown on the wind rather than doing anything to move it along. The rebels led by District 13 and President Coin who is a harsh but decisive ruler needed in a strict (but necessarily so) underground society, need Katniss to be a symbol for the rebellion to unite the outlying districts. Katniss does not want to be part of it as she only sees as far as her own suffering. She finally agrees to do this for her selfish reasons but is unable to act this part. They learn that she is a person of action and can only inspire when she is genuinely reacting to the horrors of war.
Katniss does not see or understand the revolution. She is still suffering PTSD from recent events and woke to find her home district completely destroyed in response from the Capital. President Snow also directs responses personally to her including the brainwashing of Peta to harm her.
So the Katniss as protagonist is difficult as the rebellion seems correct and they have Donald Southerland playing a leering awful figure although even that gets twisted in the ending. Katniss is an unwilling "hero" and it is only by who she is, does she inspire. The film crew (devised by the author) can bring out the parts of her that do inspire.
This is more difficult and not the usual straight forward heroism. Katniss does not think of herself as a hero. She does not want to be a hero. She does not want to take part in the rebellion. She just wants to protect her family and friends.
So yes it is going to be an odd duck of a movie. I don't think you can say judge the movie on its own when it is faithfully following the book. Yes, I had problems with Katniss in the book. I actually have less problems with the Katniss of the movie because I think they are doing an excellent job of showing this story in the short time they have.
Should the last book have been divided? That's a tougher call but the book does lend itself to that because the second part is different and much more of an action/raid story.
Edits: 11/24/14
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Follow Ups
- and that's just one review - Daryl Zero 11:18:19 11/24/14 (2)
- RE: and that's just one review - Steve O 13:24:41 11/24/14 (0)
- RE: and that's just one review - mkuller 11:25:25 11/24/14 (0)
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