The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

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.

Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)

Title: Catching Fire

Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Author: Suzanne Collins

Released: 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

Basic Plot: Katniss Everdeen is brought into the arena again after she inadvertently started a rebellion after the previous hunger games.

The Clock Arena
I absolutely love the arena in this book. Besides providing physical challenges it provides psychological challenges. The physical challenges are interesting and you can really feel the danger that the characters face. There is technically only one psychological challenge but I am going to also count the relationships between the characters. In the first book there is not really any relationships between the characters except viewing each other as contestants.

Buildup to a Revolution
Most of the book is building up to a revolution. It shows every day people and how they react. The government is shown to be even more cruel. Well, President Snow mostly. In fact, it seems to be President Snow who is the only real cruel one. As District 12 changes and there's a rebellion in District 8 you can tell the Capitol is afraid. Oh, and the Peacekeepers shooting an old man in the head!

Rumors of District 13
Two refugees from District 8 inform Katniss that District 13 is still 'alive'. Katniss assumes it's just a dumb hope. Ever since the first book talked about District 13 I thought it might still exist. But one point against it existing is the fact that it hasn't fought against the Capitol. By the end you find out that it exists but not why it hasn't fought against the Capitol.

Final Thoughts
The reason I gave this book a 4.5/5 instead of a 5/5 is the fact that some important plot points you can understand long before Katniss does. Such as the mockingjay watch that someone shows Katniss in the Capitol. All in all, though, this is a good sequel. It expands on the previous book and raises the stakes. Plus, Collins isn't afraid to kill off great characters to help the story.