The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Movie Review by Lauren
IMDB Summary: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
Review: I went and saw Catching Fire at midnight this past Thursday. Normally these midnight releases include long lines where fans wait for hours to be let into the theater. This time around, that wasn’t the case. While it worked out well, I did miss the camaraderie. The reason things were different is because there were many showings of the movie before midnight on Thursday, which doesn’t make sense to me since the release is Friday, not Thursday. At any rate, I saw it at midnight and enjoyed being surrounded by fans as we were all, once again, captivated by this world.
Catching Fire is an emotional ride. I found myself teary-eyed a lot in the beginning of the film as Katniss and Peeta go on their victory tour, desperate to prove to President Snow that they do not want riots in the districts. Try as they might though, they can’t stop the revolution from “catching fire.” This ultimately leads them to a fight for their life. I know most people have read the books, but I don’t want to ruin anything either, so I won’t go into further details about the plot.
However, I loved seeing some old favorites back in the movie like Caesar Flickerman, played wonderfully by Stanley Tucci. He is a quintessential resident of the Capitol. He revels at the danger of the Hunger Games, and the audience can’t help but laugh at his antics because it’s so ridiculous.
As for new characters, I have to say that my favorite is probably Jena Malone as Johanna Mason. Johanna is a fierce, former Hunger Games winner, who isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. Malone is the perfect choice for this character, in my opinion. I felt for Johanna, noting the emotion under her anger, but more than anything, I wanted to cheer her on!
So far, everyone seems to have loved this movie, and I’m very happy about that. I think it’s a wonderful installment in the series and I can’t wait for Mockingjay. The ending definitely made me cheer, but also bemoan the fact that I don’t have the third movie ready and waiting.
I have heard nothing but good about this movie, and I'm so happy to hear more positive thoughts from you. It's great that the lines were shorter and that you got to be around other fans anyway, even with the decreased camaraderie. I love the friendship found in fandoms, so I see why you felt a small void.
I've also heard that the secondary characters were well-developed, and I'm so excited to see Johanna come to life on screen.
I hope the final two movies do not disappoint! (This may be hard because the final book disappointed me, but I'm sure the producers can do it, haha.)
Even the first movie was a very emotional experience for me and I have a feeling this will be even more so. It'll be a while before I manage to go see it, but I am very much looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I still haven't seen the first film! Huge fan of the books, but have never seen the movies. :/
xx
I LOVED this movie! I was really emotional at the beginning too. I cried a lot during the speech to Rue's family. 🙁 But oh, I could see this movie everyday if I had the time and money. The acting really is well done by this cast.
I hoped to take my cousins to see this one today, but of course I am sick. Ugh.
Not as good as the first, but still a worthy addition to a franchise that seems like it's on the brink of breaking some mighty fine box-office records. Good review.
Lauren, I can't be even more agree with you! The moment the credit rolled, I wished so bad to have the third movie ready to watch! Catching Fire is another awesome adaptation, and I like that it seems more action packed compared to the book. And Malone as Johanna is really wonderful. She really captures the feisty and sarcastic side of Johanna!
Caesar Flickerman is as outrageous as before. You can't help but being entertained by his crazy remarks, right? 😉 Although I felt kind of bad of how hard his job is, maintaining the audience and the tributes in the show haha.
Amazing movie review! <3 Now if only we had the third movie… 😀
I can't wait to see Catching Fire! And I keep hearing how great Malone is.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
We're going to see it tonight! I haven't heard a single bad review so I'm really psyched for the movie.
I'm so behind in movie watching. I haven't even seen the first movie yet.
Yessss!! Man, I was SO impressed with this movie! It really was so good and it does seem like everyone has loved it so far. I definitely got emotional at least three different times! And the acting is a stand-out when I think about this movie franchise so far. They all impress me. Though I think Jena Malone was my favourite this time around, as well!
I loved Johanna! She made every scene more epic.
Great review! <33
So I had to come back and say I saw Catching Fire last night and LOVED it. Oh my gosh it was AMAZING. I think they did a great job with actor selection and I had to stop myself from turning around and buying another ticket to go see it again. SO good.
I found myself really teary-eyed with this movie too-so many emotional parts! Johnanna was a new favorite of mine as well-loved her.
I can't believe the series is almost over! I think I liked the second one more than the first!