Category Archives: Sci-Fi

Heading into “The Hunger Games” last year, I fully expected a “Twilight”-style dud, despite my enjoyment of Suzanne Collins’ novel series. What I got was something far different – a grim, uncompromising dystopian vision shot through with biting social critique, which ended up being one of my favorite blockbusters of 2012. And happily, despite its somewhat humdrum source material, “The Hunger Games – Catching Fire” nearly reaches the same heights.

Following their success in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, protagonists Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are back home in blighted District 12, where they’re forced to deal with the pressures of cultural-figurehead status. Naturally, the totalitarian Capitol (administrators of the Hunger Games) is displeased with Katniss’ victory….a victory won through defiance of the established rules. And as both Katniss and Peeta soon learn, the Capitol has merciless ways of dealing with those who – however inadvertently – contravene its commands.

The first hour or so is fantastic – far surpassing its predecessor. The PTSD-afflicted Katniss, required to wear in public a smile that’s little more than a forced rictus, has emerged as an unintentional catalyst of revolution…and the brutal costs of this quickly become apparent. Director Francis Lawrence evokes, with disturbing effectiveness, the psychological claustrophobia that comes from living under constant scrutiny. It’s dark, bracingly intense, and very, very unlike a typical “young adult” blockbuster.

It’s probably not revealing too much to say that another Hunger Games ends up being held, in which both Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete again. And it is here that “Catching Fire” begins to slip a little. To be fair, this problem derives exclusively from the weak plotting of the source material, but the “Games, version 2.0” (harsher and more pulse-pounding though they may be) simply feel a little less fresh this time around. There’s no way around this – and perhaps it’d be more fair to treat “Catching Fire” exclusively on its own merits, pretending that installment #1 never happened – but as it stands, the film does suffer from more than a touch of deja vu.

None of that is to say that “Catching Fire” is in any way a “bad” film, or not worth seeing. Jennifer Lawrence (now with a Best Actress Oscar to her name) is exceptional as always, rendering Katniss more likable onscreen than in Collins’ story. (For that matter, the entire film is much, much better than the rather limp “Catching Fire” novel). Despite the 2-1/2 hour runtime, not once does the movie drag…a remarkable feat, particularly in a second installment. And it’s worth acknowledging that despite heavy use of CGI, the effects never end up depersonalizing the (very human) narrative.

Go see this one, particularly if you enjoyed the first…and even franchise cynics will find much to appreciate here (particularly in the riveting first half). One can only hope that the forthcoming two-part sequel (an adaptation of the violently polarizing final installment, “Mockingjay”) continues to meet the high bar its predecessors have set.

VERDICT: 8.5/10
A more-than-worthy sequel to a surprisingly great action flick…even if it does feel a bit reheated.

Normalized Score: 6.9

The book – authored by sci-fi forefather Orson Scott Card – is a classic. It’s somewhat surprising, then, that a film adaptation took so long to materialize. Perhaps this stems from the fact that the novel is a hard book to synopsize; it draws from decades’ worth of coming-of-age literature and military fiction, but co-opts their standard tropes into something original and unique. The film is the same way (though to a lesser degree – some of the better-conceived subplots have been purged or trimmed).

Following a near-catastrophic attack by the inscrutable alien “Formics,” Earth’s planetary defense leadership (under the command of Colonel Hiram Graff – played by a fantastic Harrison Ford) initiates a training program for promising young battlefield commanders. Among these potentials is Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a boy with a brilliant tactical mind and unflappable psyche. Through a series of increasingly rigorous wargames, Ender’s skills are honed for an ultimate confrontation against the Formic army.

Despite the fact that big-budget science-fiction blockbusters have been dominating cinema screens for the last twenty years or so, “Ender’s Game” feels fresh and creative in its storytelling. This is further amplified by fantastic art direction, musical scoring, and visual effects (the space battles look absolutely amazing, and are everything fans of the book might’ve desired). And of course, the cast is everything book aficionados might’ve wished for.

That being said, the movie isn’t without its flaws. Ender’s character development leaves a good deal to be desired (e.g. Ender’s compassion is a focal point of the plot, but this is never convincingly established onscreen; when Ender actually displays a rare emotional reaction, it never feels truly genuine or organic), and some of the novel’s famous plot twists don’t quite get the buildup they deserve.

(Most unfortunately of all, the Peter/Valentine political subtext has been culled…but viewers who aren’t familiar with the source material won’t miss this.)

Most of these gripes might’ve been readily resolved with a longer runtime – this is one film that, surprisingly, deserves an extended cut. As it stands, though, “Ender’s Game” is a good but not particularly memorable movie. It’s probably safe to say that the movie will never become a genre-defining classic like the book. (Given the novel’s cult-classic status, it’s it’s not hard to imagine “Ender’s Game” being remade thirty or forty years from now. If a premium cable channel were to pick it up as a miniseries, that also might be a solid bet.)

All that being said, “Ender’s Game” is still worthwhile entertainment. Content issues are negligible, and it asks some interesting philosophical questions that most blockbusters don’t touch (I won’t say more for fear of spoilers), even if these aren’t probed as thoroughly as one might like. Longtime fans of the book might grumble over some editorial exclusions, but less nitpicky audiences will certainly enjoy this film.

VERDICT: 7/10
A solid, but not groundbreaking, sci-fi adventure. Satisfying for fans of the novel, but probably not “the definitive adaptation.”

Normalized Score: 3.4

Postscript – a quick word on the proposed boycott of this movie, stemming from Card’s opposition to same-sex marriage: I think boycotts are stupid in general, whether they’re suggested by the left or the right – and particularly so when they implicate otherwise neutral goods and services. No matter what side of the marriage issue one comes down on, there’s literally nothing ideologically offensive here. If “Ender’s Game” is a movie you wish to see, watch it.

For what it’s worth, I still drink Starbucks, snack on Ben and Jerry’s, eat Chick-fil-A, and generally don’t make a habit of feeling guilty about any of it. Life’s too short.