Second Take: ‘Hunger Games’ premiere to stand out in trend of dystopian teen movies
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” the final installment of “The Hunger Games” series film adaptations, will premiere Friday, bringing the series to an end as Katniss Everdeen and the rebels fight to end Capitol rule. (Courtesy of Murray Close)
By Suzie Papantoni
Nov. 18, 2015 7:38 a.m.
Katniss Everdeen is making her comeback Friday: bow and arrows in tight grip, hair in an effortless braid and unflinching spark in her eyes.
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” will provide a resolution to the rebellion against the Capitol and bring the series to an end.
When the “girl on fire” frenzy began in 2012, teen audiences were introduced to the darker world of dystopian fiction. “The Hunger Games,” the first movie of the series, brought the dystopian world of Panem and its infamous hunger games to the silver screen. It also launched the film adaptation franchise which has been a box office hit.
The concept is novel and enthralling: Teenagers are forced into a deadly game of survival for the entertainment of the wealthy rulers of the “Capitol.”
However, dystopian fiction is not a uniquely contemporary trend. The genre comes in and out of fashion with the upwelling of social disillusionment, which has produced classic works like Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” in 1932 or George Orwell’s “1984” in 1949.
“The Hunger Games” series sets itself part by introducing dystopian fiction to teenage audiences, said Deborah Donig, a graduate student in English.
Whereas in the early 2000s teen fantasies evolved around a softer world of dystopian fiction with the popular “Uglies” book series, “The Hunger Games” delves into constitutionalized oppression, barbaric wars and unprecedented conformity.
If fiction is a mirror of reality, then the reality for teenagers is darker than it has ever been since they are increasingly exposed to global problems. Now, teenagers are expected to understand the complexity of horrors occurring around the world, Donig said.
Teenagers are influenced and often scared by current problems like financial crises, mass shootings and the refugee crisis, said Timothy Albaugh, a UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television lecturer.
“The Hunger Games” series was followed by film series like “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner” whose common thread is teenagers stuck in a world they can’t control. While Katniss is the face of rebellion against the totalitarian regime of President Snow, Thomas in “Maze Runner” fights to find a way out of the Glade and Tris in “Divergent” leads the war against the corrupt Erudite faction that attempts to monopolize power.
The core of all these movies is the same: A common teenager saves the world from an invincible regime.
Teen dystopian fiction mirrors the current skepticism of government, Donig said. “The Hunger Games” series turned the dystopian coming-of-age genre into a horror story frighteningly familiar to present reality. The movies feature totalitarian regimes, massive bombings and innocents pointing their weapons at each other.
But the attraction of the series is not its bloodshed. A dystopian, futuristic world by itself is a pessimistic portrayal of reality that would only depress audiences. The real interest is the fierce and honorable Katniss Everdeen, who defies the order of her dystopian society and gives audience hope.
All dystopian fiction is escapism, Albaugh said. He said growing up, teenagers realize that they are not invincible, and it is cathartic for them to watch peers take control of their destiny and change the world.
Teen audiences anticipate the moment when protagonists in dystopian fiction transform into rebellion leaders. “Remember who the real enemy is,” Finnick tells Katniss in “The Hunger Games,” and she turns her bow and arrow toward President Snow.
In “Mockingjay – Part 2,” audiences are seeking a ray of hope.
In the first part of “Mockingjay,” Katniss heroically rose out of the fire to transform into the mockingjay of Panem, putting aside her life and romance to lead the rebellion against the Capitol. However, the breathtaking build-up never climaxes, given the revolution is never realized.
Now, fans expect “Mockingjay – Part 2” to deliver not only the adrenaline rush that Part 1 failed to provide, but also a catharsis from this dystopian reality.
Munching popcorn and sinking comfortably in their seats, college students will be storming into theaters Friday to find hope for the bleak reality of their society.
