Utopia and Dystopia: The Matrix and The Hunger Games

After watching both The Matrix and The Hunger Games, I can say that both have proved to be great examples of Utopia/ Dystopia. The big question is: "How do the two films compare or contrast to one another?"

Both films use a strong sense of restricted freedom. In The Matrix, the humans are being kept in pods and are being taught to fight and bring use to their abilities. In the Hunger Games, the twelve districts must survive off of little to no resources or food. The Capitol takes two children, one boy and one girl, from each district and places them in the wilderness to fight until one victor is standing. The district that the victor is from will then get supplies and food to feed its people for up to a year. In the end, The Hunger Games, however, manages to pull off the restricted freedom role much easier.

Another major comparison of the two films is the use of surveillance against our characters. Neo always seemed to be followed by the enemy during The Matrix. He would either be forced to fight or to run and return to the ship. Katniss, as well as the other tributes in The Hunger Games, were being carefully watched as they fought each other to the death. Every time a character would die, the Capital could send out little signals to the other players, informing them of those who had died and who remained.

However, the only real difference between both films would be the nature of the two worlds. The Matrix did control earth in some ways, though it wasn't being destroyed. Nobody knew about it except for a few people, such as Neo. In The Hunger Games, however, the children are placed in the wilderness to survive on their own. If they had already known a little about being out in certain terrain, then maybe they would had survived easier. Katniss had wandered out many times to hunt, which gave her an advantage against the other players.