Title: Catching Fire
Series: The Hunger Games
Based on the Book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth
Rated: PG-13
Released: 2013
Personal Rating: 5/6
Oscars: N/A
Plot: 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.
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Katniss and Love
Katniss is very goal oriented and has the ability to push her feelings aside if the situation calls for it. That is such strength that I don't usually see in a woman character. She does love Gale but tells him that she can't think like that until her current situation is resolved. Her feelings for Peeta are mixed since she has feelings for Gale, but Peeta shares an experience with Katniss that Gale can never share. I know some people don't like the character growth that Gale goes through in the final book and might find it a cheap way to resolve the love triangle but: everyone in the series goes through a change and evolves. Katniss never goes away from her 'i can live without a man' attitude, but how she views others does change.
Very Moving
I was very moved by this movie. I didn't break down crying but a tear or two went down my cheeks during the movie. The jabberjay scene was one of the hardest things to watch (and I don't truly believe when Johanna tells Katniss that they didn't torture Prim as she said the Capital wouldn't fare well with the publicity IF THE CITIZENS FOUND OUT) and it nearly broke me. Again I went to a theater that sold beer and I ran out of my drink by the time the scene was shown. Other moving scenes involved the sub-plot of Katniss trying to get Haymitch to protect Peeta over her.
The Lack of District 13
I should be happy that there were a few lines dedicated to District 13 that gave the basic info of it being destroyed and now it's used as a way to keep people from rebelling. But those lines should've been in the first film and more developed lines should've been in this one. The whole sub-plot of Katniss figuring out that the footage of District 13 never changes and so the whole truth of its current state is being kept secret plus people going to the might actual exist/might not actually exist District are both fully cut out. I don't get why the filmmakers take this erasure of District 13 as it plays a major MAJOR role in the final book (and, therefore, final two movies of the series). But, hey, at least those lines are in there so those who haven't read the book won't be totally surprised by the final two films.
Final Thoughts
I have heard a lot of people say that this movie is better than the first one and I do agree that a lot of emotions are much harsher in this film. However, that couldn't have been done without the first one. I do like how Snow is the villain of this film and how each victor reacts differently to being called on to compete in yet another Hunger Games. I especially loved Johanna as she was plain vicious, on the side of good, and protected herself by not forming attachments. The only actor that caused me some confusion was Jeffrey Wright as Beetee as I recognized him from Boardwalk Empire (I don't watch it regularly, though it is a good show). In it he plays a villain and he doesn't seem to totally drop that persona in this film.
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