It has been an interesting year for women in film; with stereotypical archetypes being pushed aside in favor of more realistic portrayals of our fictional female characters. No where is this change more apparent than in the Young Adult category- a genre that largely defines the teenage reading experience for young women. So, it should come as no surprise that below you will find two such specimens of that most beloved genre. However, instead of pitting these two Sci-Fi mavens against each other, it was decided to set aside the apple of discord between them in favor of honoring what makes these fictional females so extraordinary to begin with. Spoiler Alert! You have been warned!
And the Golden Apple goes to...
The Mockingly: Part I
Release Date: November 21, 2014
Rating: PG-13
This is not your "average", dystopian YA-inspired movie adaptation. For anyone entering those hollowed, theatre doors expecting a no-holds-barred shoot-out, you must have faced the sort of bone crushing disappointment saved for the latest installment of the Twilight saga. This is a war movie and there is no way around that. Katniss Everdeen is no super hero who dusts herself off after certain destruction to only face off against the stereotypical villain for an epic ass-whooping. She is broken-- left huddled in the fetal position, tucked away within the deepest bowls of District 13. Peeta is gone-- rather taken-- by the capital to a fate that is unknown to us. Don't worry, fangirls, you will receive glimpses of him on and off throughout this harrowing journey through Capital destruction. The citizens of Panem will rise again behind their figurehead, but as the title of this movie suggests; to what end? How much of herself must Katniss sacrifice before there is nothing left of her? As stated in a previous blog post, Ms. Everdeen's struggles have always far exceeded those within the arena's walls. She has juggled her undying need to be the protector/ provider of her family, all while trying to make sense of her confused emotional ties for Gale and Peeta.
In Mockinjay, her careful balancing act is about to collapse around her. Her very sanity hangs in the balance as the Capital taunts her with visions of Peeta in various forms of tortorous decay.Does she love him? Does she still harbor feelings for old flame Gale? Who cares! At the end of the day, she would much rather trade places with either man than cause them pain. Instead of experiencing this near end to the now infamous trilogy as a grandly epic thrill ride; it remained closer to the subject matter at hand. For those of us that are fans of the text, this is a special treat. The power in each scene lies behind the now tightly knit cast-- and those quietly intimate moments that occur when weapons are set aside and tears are shed. The entire film is moving slowly towards that one, titular moment at the very end.
For those of you that were disappointed with this cinematic gem, expecting more from the battle for Panem's soul-- do not fear. The war will begin promptly with the release of Mockingjay, Part II.
Divergent
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Rating: PG-13
Only receiving a 41% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, even I must admit some mixed feelings about the movie adaptation-- as detailed in this movie review. Yes, there are some similarities between these two femme fatales but this blog post is dedicated to embracing what makes these women stand out. To begin with, Divergent is more a personality-test-on-steroids than a reality show gone amuck. Tris is forced, very early on, to choose against her family and her station in order to break through the boundaries of what is expected of her. She does not want to follow the line of her Abnegation past, choosing instead to join the Dauntless and forging her own path. The entire movie unfolds as simply a series of physically/mentally demanding tasks that are meant to bring our heroine to the brink of success. It's only in failure that the audience begins to see that Tris is no outstanding woman.
She is just a girl, after all; trying to reconcile all the different facets of herself in an effort to move forward towards an unsure future. There is no love triangle here to distract from the overall story-- her loyalty to Tobias/Four will carry us through two more sequels before it is all over. How refreshing that a young woman should know her own heart well enough to find true love within the first handful of chapters. In the end, Tris teaches us that it is alright to push the envelope of what is expected of us. Sometimes we will succeed, and most likely we will fail. Hell, there will be times that our worst fears are realized (quite literally) and we may have to improvise our way out of that ever-filling water tank of failure.
She is just a girl, after all; trying to reconcile all the different facets of herself in an effort to move forward towards an unsure future. There is no love triangle here to distract from the overall story-- her loyalty to Tobias/Four will carry us through two more sequels before it is all over. How refreshing that a young woman should know her own heart well enough to find true love within the first handful of chapters. In the end, Tris teaches us that it is alright to push the envelope of what is expected of us. Sometimes we will succeed, and most likely we will fail. Hell, there will be times that our worst fears are realized (quite literally) and we may have to improvise our way out of that ever-filling water tank of failure.
In the end, we must stay true to who we are if we ever expect to achieve happiness.
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