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Spoiler Free Review of Sunrise on the Reaping from someone who just stayed up all night to read it and is now broken emotionally
Suzanne is not fucking around anymore. This book is about so many things but the thing that stuck out most to me was the rage I think dominates this prequel more than any other book in the series.
When the news came out a book about Haymitch was coming after years of fan requests (and a film to be developed in tandem) I’ll admit, I had my doubts.
But what Collins delivers is more brutal a gut punch than I think even the most hard core fans of this series were anticipating. In the wake of political unrest across the US and world wide, in an era of disinformation, she tells the reader clearly to look and think for themselves, and shows the atrocities that can come when we do not.
This book is about anger and injustice and it does not try to convince its reader otherwise. At times you can feel Collins shaking the reader by the shoulders: ‘See?! See what happens when you blindly accept what they tell you? See what you let them take?’.
Fans familiar with Haymitch will not be surprised by a lot of the major beats of this story but the focus on propaganda still leads to some interesting reveals. This is the goriest of Collins series and in many ways I think will be the hardest to adapt, perhaps her own rebellion against the industry that continues to profit off her work and contort her message
I’m only on chapter 3 of ‘sunrise on the reaping’ and I already wanna cry. Suzanne Collins are you trying to hurt me?
Review: War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Rating: 8.0 of 10
15 years after the breakout of Simian Flu (in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, or “Rise” for simplicity)--which leaves most of human population dead and the apes’ intelligence uplifted, the ape society that Caesar (Andy Serkis) lead is forced to hide in the forest after Koba’s--Caesar’s former frenemy--fateful attempt to wage war against humans (in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, reviewed here). In War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar still tries to prove that the apes meant no harm. But then, one particularly vicious attack changed him forever.
Based on the title, I fully expected for the movie to be about an all out war between the apes and humans, but I was definitely wrong. In fact, “War” is basically the complete opposite of that. Although the scene began with a brutal attack between apes and humans, the rest of “War” is a very quiet, introspective movie of Caesar’s conflicted mind, and somehow the titular war is actually between two factions of human groups. But I figured thematically it makes sense, since “Dawn” was all about the war between two factions of the apes.
Science fiction is the best when it explores humanity through a new lense, and “War” is definitely one of those instances. We see apes dealing with every kind of human emotion, and we see the humans coping with the rise of new intelligent species and possible extinction. “War” is a very interesting study of human and humanity, although I must say it’s not the most fun movie, to say the least.
If there’s any flaw about the movie, it’s the extremely bleak view of humanity, to the point that it feels forced. Colonel’s (Woody Harrelson) faction of humans are basically the living embodiment of the worst side of humanity, while Caesar continues to make worse and worse decisions. Which is a shame, because “Dawn” used to have a much more nuanced discussion of the matter. I mean, “War” work extremely well as a grand study of humanity, but I do find myself wishing the movie would have chosen a slightly different perspective.
TL;DR It does make for an excellent sci-fi and a moving movie experience, but I did walk away from the cinema feeling incredibly sorrowful, instead of hopeful for a new day. But it definitely speaks of the strength of the movie that it could move me so much. I still would definitely recommend this movie, although maybe, get the tissues ready.
