Its Hot All Right! Movie Review – Lionsgate Films’ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 146 minutes

Rating: ★★★★★

“Nobody ever wins the game. There are survivors, no winners.” – Haymitch

THG 2.0

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is probably one of the most anticipated movies this of 2013. With characters like tough, loving, and intelligent Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence); brave, sweet, and loyal Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson); dependable, charismatic, and brooding Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth); and of course, the almost always drunk Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), you can’t go wrong. While the plot is similar to The Hunger Games, the first in the trilogy, the outcome leads to something a bit more revolutionary (pun intended). I was surprised to see more of Prim (Willow Shields) as she’s Katniss’ kid sister. But in Catching Fire, Prim has grown up a bit and shows she can handle herself as a young adult, and not just the little kid we know. What’s funny is you can see the growth in all the characters on screen better than you can when reading the novels. Yes, I’ve read all three books so I was looking forward to seeing how the newest games would turn out. The production department does an excellent job of bringing to life Suzanne Collins’ words almost as I depicted it in my head when reading Catching Fire.

Give This Girl An Award

Katniss talking about Rue (Amandla Stenberg) brought tears to my eyes. You can feel Katniss’ despair. She doesn’t want anything to do with the games but her hand is forced. Not to mention she’s still dealing with the after effects of the first game. Being the strong woman she is, Katniss plays along for the sake of saving those she loves. Lawrence does an excellent job portraying a strong woman debilitated by unforgettable events she’ll never overcome. It’s at this point the love triangle becomes more pronounced (and stupid), pulling me away from the plot. One minute she’s kissing one guy, the next she’s kissing another. While I loved the book, I can’t say I love this depiction. I was sure Katniss was leaning one way with her feelings until she is pushed into situations that reveal how she feels without her knowing it.

Wuv Triangle

I still don’t buy Hutcherson as Peeta. There’s no chemistry between him and Katniss other than that of siblings or really close friends. I found myself cringing when they kissed and embraced. The love vibes just aren’t there. Now, the chemistry between Katniss and Gale, hello! Gale looks at Katniss as if she’s the only person in the world, or better yet, as if she’s his world. The fact that Katniss can’t see how much he cares for her is mindboggling. Perhaps she’s focusing on surviving the life she’s been dealt and keeping her sister alive. One thing the two friends express with ease is their feelings for each other. They run deeper than anything growing between Katniss and Peeta. True love can’t be faked.

Scene Stealers

Effie (Elizabeth Banks) steals every scene she’s in. I realize I didn’t comment much about Banks’ performance in the first film because it was a bit subdued, but we see more of Effie in Catching Fire and she’s phenomenal. I hope she isn’t overlooked at award time.

Let’s talk about the costumes for a minute because they are a character in and of themselves. Every dress is out of this world gorgeous. In fact, Effie’s butterfly ensemble is so appealing, I’m still trying to figure out where I can find one for myself. (Guess I better put my sewing machine to use!) I think the costume department outdid itself, especially with Katniss’ wedding gown. Talk about a dress right out of your dreams.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is one of my favorite actors, so to say I was pleasantly surprised to see him in Catching Fire is an understatement. He works with a subtlety that can’t be ignored. I knew something was off about his character, Game Maker Plutarch Heavensbee, from the start because he looks like a President Snow (Donald Sutherland) replica. By that, I mean he doesn’t don the latest Capital fashions and isn’t over the top with his outward appearance. He looks like he walked right out of 2013 and into the future where Panem exists.

Jena Malone plays the eccentric Johanna Mason. I love Malone. She slips into this role like a second skin, giving dimension to a character that could have easily been made a caricature with her over-the-top antics. Talk about a drama queen! She’s yet another strong woman taking charge and showing the men she doesn’t need to be saved. Johanna can save herself.

Random Thoughts

Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) doesn’t have a lot of screen time this go round but Kravitz still shines in the role. You know, oozing sex appeal and working that gold eye shadow like nobody’s business. Cinna always makes an impact with Katniss, and I think his presence in her life is one of the first instances where she realizes she must stand up and fight back.

I love President Snow stepping up his game and working behind the scenes. He has his hand in so many pots you know he’ll get burned eventually.

Katniss isn’t supposed to know how to swim. She comes from a place in Panem where there is no place to learn so how does she just dive into the water and swim like someone’s who’s been swimming for years, and not minutes? Survival instinct doesn’t work that damn well.

Interesting Quotes

Haymitch: “This trip doesn’t end when you get off this train.”

President Snow to Plutarch Heavensbee: “Whatever game you think you’re playing, they’re not playing with you.”

The special effects, acting (especially the secondary characters I’ve not even mentioned), and story remain up to par. My problem is I wasn’t wowed like I thought I would be. I didn’t feel like I was seeing something fresh and new because Catching Fire is essentially The Hunger Games revamped. The location of the games has changed and the players have changed, but Katniss and Peeta remain the same. I would have enjoyed this one better if it wasn’t so Peeta-centric. Katniss turns her concern for her family and Gale into ‘I must keep Peeta alive at all costs’ and it lost me. My issue could be that I don’t like Peeta much anyway, so I’m biased. But I can’t get behind that part of the movie.

The ending is uneventful as the movie fades to black after a close-up of Katniss’ face. She’s just received devastating news, and the fire in her eyes alerts you to her emotions and what she thinks of the situation. She’s not going to take it lying down. Coldplay’s “Atlas” closes out the movie on a somber note. It speaks to what Katniss has to deal with and how she’s going to be perceived in the future, as you know this isn’t the end. Based on a trilogy, The Hunger Games still has more of its story to tell. My least favorite, unfortunately. Here’s hoping the next movie is better than the book.

For more information on the film, visit the official movie website http://www.lionsgate.com/movies/catchingfire/.

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle