(Major spoilers ahead)

 

The land of Panem has twelve districts or so,

Who all rose up seventy-four years ago.

The Capitol beat them and since has drawn names

Of two teens from each district to fight Hunger Games,

A televised, glamorized duel to the death,

Which only ends once a lone victor draws breath.

 

In poor District 12, Katniss Everdeen wants

To help sister Primrose and mom, so she hunts.

She goes with young Prim and her handsome friend Gale

To the annual Reaping, where all their hopes fail.

The vain Effie Trinket draws Prim, who had fears,

But Katniss steps forward, and she volunteers.

 

Once Peeta Mellark, the town baker’s son,

Is picked as the male and goodbyes are all done,

They leave on a train that is meant for the rich

And meet the lone victor from 12 named Haymitch.

He may be a drunk, but he gives them advice:

To earn sponsors, they have to act friendly and nice.

 

Like Effie, the Capitol’s full of vain posers,

Multi-hued, glossily shallow brownnosers.

Their stylist Cinna can’t help but admire

Brave Katniss. His clothing designs can catch fire;

This earns welcome praise as both tributes hold hands,

Making 12 the new favorite for those in the stands.

 

As Peeta and Katniss are lavished with pleasures,

They’re rather uncomfortable with all these treasures.

In training, they both earn some slight recognition

From twenty-two others, who’ll be competition.

While Peeta can paint camouflage and is strong,

It’s Katniss the archer who shines all along.

 

In televised interviews, Peeta admits

That he’s loved Katniss secretly, giving her fits,

But this makes them popular, letting folks delve

Into tales of the two star-crossed lovers from 12.

Though scared when the day of the contest arrives,

Both Katniss and Peeta will fight for their lives.

 

A forest environment is their terrain,

And both avoid being the first of the slain.

While Katniss runs off to try hiding from view,

Her counterpart Peeta joins with 1 and 2,

Who’ve teamed up to hunt down the weak that remain

Before they start fighting each other again.

 

The gamemaker Seneca Crane uses flame

To drive Katniss back to the heart of the game.

When cornered by tributes, she takes out a foe

By dropping a wasp nest on those down below.

Assisted by District 11’s young Rue,

She blows up the enemies’ food supply too.

 

When Rue meets her death and her friend is grieved by it,

The men in 11 start causing a riot.

To give people hope, Crane adjusts what has been

So that Katniss and Peeta can both perhaps win.

She finds him and helps save his life and, what’s more,

Confesses her love, just as he had before.

 

Attacked by Crane’s beasts, they seek refuge until

They’re assaulted by one last opponent to kill.

When they are alone and they think that they’ve won,

They’re told that the earlier change is undone.

With poisonous berries, they bluff suicide,

But needing a victor, Crane’s fit to be tied.

 

Crane lets them both win, a choice sure to cause strife,

And for this decision, he pays with his life.

Both Katniss and Peeta, relieved from the threat,

Return to 12, maybe to try and forget.

But threats exist outside the Hunger Games, though,

And they have displeased mighty President Snow.

_______________________

 

Though Katniss and Peeta have safely returned

To bleak District 12 with the prize that they’ve earned,

Though they now have comfort they never have known,

Poor Katniss feels guilt with no way to atone.

 

They now have to go on a victory tour

To give people hope, which is misery’s cure,

But President Snow knows that Peeta and she

Were faking their love for the districts to see.

 

He says that they’d better convince with their act

And make folks believe, to keep Panem intact.

He shows her a picture to say, if they fail,

He’ll punish their loved ones, including friend Gale.

 

Yet, by the people, they are not endorsed;

They’re not in the mood for a love that seems forced.

They want to rebel, just as Katniss had done

When she used the berries to spoil Snow’s fun.

 

They mingle and mix at a Capitol ball,

And how people live cannot help but appall.

There Katniss runs into Plutarch Heavensbee,

The newest gamemaker who took the job free.

 

When Katniss suggests she and Peeta be wed

To keep people happy, though strife is widespread,

This Plutarch tells Snow that they ought to crack down

To make people hate her in her wedding gown.

 

Snow’s soldiers attack on a much larger scale,

And Katniss steps in when they start whipping Gale.

This open defiance leads Snow to desire

The victors destroyed to extinguish the fire.

 

The seventy-fifth Hunger Games will excel

At granting his wish; it’s a rare Quarter Quell,

And Snow soon announces that tributes will come

From the group of contestants who’ve already won.

 

Since Katniss is 12’s only female to win,

It’s Peeta or Haymitch who’ll also be in.

When Haymitch is picked, Peeta does volunteer

To fight beside Katniss just like the last year.

 

They meet prior victors, like Finnick Odair,

Who’s friendly but cocky and acts debonair,

And Beetee and Wiress, who let science fight,

And 7’s Johanna, who’s forward all right.

 

They train as before, but the tributes are sore

For having to fight for survival once more.

They try to subvert the support for the games

But are not successful at thwarting Snow’s aims.

 

For using his fashions to rouse and incite,

Her stylist Cinna is dragged from her sight.

The Games then begin, as the tributes all rise

And figure out who are their chosen allies.

 

They fight on a lake and then everyone hides

In the jungle that stretches away on all sides.

Both Katniss and Peeta join Finnick of 4

And run into force fields and dangers galore.

 

First near-deadly shocks and then poisonous mist

And then killer monkeys, and all they resist.

They flee to the center and find, through a yell,

Johanna and Wiress and Beetee as well.

 

They realize this place is set up like a clock,

With dangers in sections and force fields that block.

Soon Wiress is killed, and the whole clock is spun

To mess up their plan and confuse everyone.

 

Still, Beetee decides they must go to a tree,

Where huge lightning bolts strike regularly.

From there they can shock all the foes that remain,

And what follows that is not made very plain.

 

The group is ambushed as they try Beetee’s route;

Johanna cuts Katniss’s tracker right out.

She’s cut off from Peeta and goes to the tree

To find Beetee hurt to an unknown degree.

 

Confused at what’s happening, Katniss is given

A chance to shoot Finnick; instead, she is driven

To shoot up an arrow connected to wire,

Which shocks the arena and causes a fire.

 

The whole dome shuts down, leaving Snow quite aghast,

And Heavensbee’s gone, having gotten out fast.

Though Katniss is injured, she still is okay

And sees a ship swoop in and lift her away.

 

She wakens to learn Heavensbee’s on her side,

And half of the tributes were slyly allied.

The plan all along was to get Katniss free,

And take her to District 13 covertly.

 

But Katniss is mad at Haymitch and distraught,

For Peeta, as well as Johanna, were caught.

She further learns Gale and her family are fine,

But District 12’s gone, and now Snow’s crossed the line.

____________________

 

I was initially dubious about The Hunger Games, viewing a tale of juvenile gladiatorial games as a new low in a culture craving “bread and circuses.” I had not read Suzanne Collins’s books and had only heard rumors about their violence and unfortunately young fan base. Once I finally saw the film, I was impressed, not only at how relatively restrained the bloodshed was but also at how the themes of violence were subtly denounced and subverted by stronger themes of compassion and sacrifice. For instance, Katniss only kills in self-defense (and even that haunted her afterward), and her grief at Rue’s death includes a beautiful tribute both to the fallen friend and to extinguished innocence itself. It still bothers me that a seven-year-old at my church was singing its praises, but The Hunger Games is certainly a worthwhile story for young adults and up.

Then the second film made it even better. Not only did it avoid the kids-killing-kids concerns (I know, adults killing adults isn’t much better), but it provided a much stronger freedom-fighting angle while retaining the positive themes and laudable characters. Not to mention the action of the Games themselves, at once clever and frightening, with a touch of paranoia, moral quandaries, and relieving humor. In both films, it takes an inordinate amount of time just to reach the titular tournament, but this setup is necessary for the characters and the drama to build to the climax, which doesn’t disappoint.

I probably admire the second film more, thanks to its more detailed arena and its game-changing twist ending, but my VC enjoys the first more because it develops its characters further. Catching Fire does suffer from a host of new secondary characters that we aren’t given quite enough time to trust, much less grow fond of, such as Finnick and Johanna. Yet I was distressed by Cinna’s fate, even though he only had some brief scenes in the first film; I expect the other characters will grow similarly in the next two installments of the series.

The love triangle is uninspired, but there’s little negative to say about Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth as Katniss, Peeta, and Gale, respectively. At this point, I believe these will be their most enduring roles. Supporting players are also at the top of their games, including Woody Harrelson as drunk but faithful Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks as vain but surprisingly caring Effie Trinket, Donald Sutherland as the menacing President Snow, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as turncoat Plutarch Heavensbee.

Post-Harry Potter, The Hunger Games remains the shining example of a young-adult-book-sensation-turned-movie-series. Twilight tried and failed; Percy Jackson tried and didn’t exactly succeed; and further attempts to match its success have continued this year with Divergent, The Giver, and The Maze Runner. It’s not every film that features some pop culture-worthy lines and an instantly recognizable whistle. The quality of acting, script, and overall production sets The Hunger Games apart and manages to overcome its less pleasant aspects. I’m not one to jump on many band wagons, and, not having read the books, I’m unsure how the next two films will work without the integral Games, but I’m definitely looking forward to Mockingjay – Part 1 (even though Part 1 = the Quest for More Money). Who isn’t?

Best line from The Hunger Games: (President Snow, speaking for any authoritarian dictatorship) “Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. Spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.”

Best line from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: (Katniss) “Nobody decent ever wins the games.”   (Haymitch) “Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There’s no winners.”

 

Artistry: 8

Characters/Actors: 9

Entertainment: 8

Visual Effects: 10

Originality: 8

Watchability: 8 (surprisingly)

Other (violence): -1

 

TOTAL: 50 out of 60

 

Next: #114 – The Right Stuff

© 2014 S. G. Liput

209 Followers and Counting

 

John Connor is ten and a bit of a punk

And thinks his mom’s tales of the future are bunk,

But two Terminators time-travel there still,

The one to protect him, the other to kill.

 

One looks like the cyborg from ten years ago,

Who sought Sarah Connor, but now he’s no foe.

The other’s mimetic and liquid-metallic

And has his sights set on the fledgling smart aleck.

 

The good Terminator saves John from the other,

And John then insists that they rescue his mother,

Who’s gone off the deep end with her apprehension

And had to be locked up in mental detention.

 

They barely escape and intend to head south,

But Sarah learns more from their cyborg’s own mouth.

She plots to dispatch Miles Dyson, the man

Developing Skynet according to plan.

 

She cannot go through with her cruel homicide,

But when Miles hears of destruction worldwide,

He helps them to enter his lab that same night

To wipe out the research that leads to their plight.

 

They blow up the lab, which is Dyson’s undoing,

And flee with the bad T-1000 pursuing.

Within a steel mill, he is shattered to bits

But reintegrates since he can’t call it quits.

 

A chase and assault and grenade to the chest

At last leaves it melted and un-coalesced.

John’s faithful protector knows this won’t suffice;

To stave off the future, he pays the last price

And stops Judgment Day with a brave sacrifice. (or so it seems….)

________________

 

The first Terminator was an effective combination of sci-fi, horror, and action, but its acclaimed 1991 sequel pitches the horror in favor of all-out, jaw-dropping action (sort of like Cameron’s Aliens, though that still had plenty of nightmare fodder). I’m sure it was tricky turning such an iconic villain into a force for good, but James Cameron did just that, earning Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 a spot on both AFI top Heroes list and their Villains list.

The film starts out with mounds of human skulls, so the audience will know they’re in for a good time. This bleak future provides a goal for the characters, namely to prevent it, and the setup with the two time travelers keeps it unclear who belongs to the dark side. Robert Patrick as the T-1000 acts human enough at first, leaving doubts as to whether he’s another cyborg or a freedom fighter like the first film’s Kyle Reece (though the trailers gave that away from the start).

The robots are perfectly cast, but the humans are less than ideal. Edward Furlong has the required leadership potential for John Connor, but he’s a foul-mouthed delinquent who doesn’t deserve termination but certainly prosecution. Likewise, Sarah Connor is no longer an attractive waitress but a haunted, violent nutcase whose tales of the future have gotten her committed. Their cause is admirable, but they’re hardly admirable as people.

The film itself has plenty of brief but deep themes (women create life while men tend to destroy; the potential and need to value human life), though it doesn’t even try to address the paradoxes they create in attempting to change the future. It’s also interesting how Sarah Connor’s extreme concern for life becomes a disregard for life when she sets her sights on Dyson, practically turning her into a Terminator before she remembers her humanity. T2 contributed some famous lines to pop culture, like the kick-butt “Hasta la vista, baby” while also offering a unique reversal of lines from the first film, such as “Come with me if you want to live,” which I actually attributed to this film before I was reminded that Reece said it first. Let’s face it: Arnold does say it better than Michael Biehn.

And I haven’t even mentioned the Oscar-winning, cutting-edge effects. The water column in The Abyss was impressive enough, but the malleable T-1000 is a true achievement in special effects and a huge leap forward compared with films even a couple years before. Honestly, the visual effects are still Oscar-worthy by today’s standards, even 23 years old. As with the first film, the chase scenes are a main focus but are ramped up to epic heights with helicopters and trucks carrying liquid nitrogen. The first half contains most of the objectionable content, including some shockingly violent scenes, but the second half is nearly perfect, with ultimate action, awesome explosions, and a lower body count.

Terminator 2 could easily have ended the franchise, and, as yet another reboot is being prepared for a 2015 release, it’s hard to imagine any Terminator film topping it. I’d much rather see it cut, but it’s one heck of a sci-fi joy ride.

Best line (avoiding the obvious): (Sarah, in a voiceover) “Watching John with the machine, it was suddenly so clear. The terminator would never stop. It would never leave him, and it would never hurt him, never shout at him, or get drunk and hit him, or say it was too busy to spend time with him. It would always be there. And it would die to protect him. Of all the would-be fathers who came and went over the years, this thing, this machine, was the only one who measured up. In an insane world, it was the sanest choice.”

 

Artistry: 8

Characters/Actors: 9

Entertainment: 10

Visual Effects: 10

Originality: 10

Watchability: 9

Other (language, violence): -6

 

TOTAL: 50 out of 60

 

Next: #115 – The Hunger Games and Catching Fire

© 2014 S. G. Liput

209 Followers and Counting