The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

Synopsis
After their victory in the 74^th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jenifer Lawrence) and Peetah Mellark (Josh Hutherson) learned rebellions have begun across the twelve districts, inspired by their actions during the Games. In order to eliminate all victors as a threat, President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) announces a special ruling for the 75^th Hunger Games: All tributes will be selected from the existing pool of victors.

Review
The Hunger Games was good, but I felt the franchise had room to improve. Thankfully, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire did just what I was hoping. It successfully improved on its predecessor, further building the world of Panem, as well as digging deeper into the characters.

One of the aspects of the first Hunger Games that didn’t sit well with me was Peeta. However, this time he is much better, and his character has developed, too. He still has a little bit of the love-sick teen vibe to him, but it doesn’t come across as strong, or as sad, this time. Peeta can actually fight, unlike much of the previous movie, where he spent most of the time playing follow the leader or was injured. It was nice to see what he was actually capable of.

I thoroughly enjoyed the supporting cast. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth banks return with some sleight changes. Harrelson as Haymitch is more lighthearted than he was previously and Banks, as Effie, had some humor worked into her character, though neither got as much screen time as before. Gale, played by Liam Hemsworth, on the other hand, had much more screen time and Hemsworth really did fantastic. Some of the new blood that added a lot to the story was Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, a victor from District 7, Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, victors from District 3, and Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair, a victor from District 4. Each did a great job with their parts and added some interesting dynamics to the story.

Going behind the scenes of the games and watching the Game Maker control what happens in the arena was fun in The Hunger Games. This time, not much was seen from that point of view, which enabled the story to keep a focus on Katniss and the group of characters with her. We saw a lot of it already, so it wasn’t necessary to see it again. Also, had they kept cutting to the control room, the discovery Katniss made about the arena layout would have been given away.

The format of Catching Fire is very similar to its predecessor: start in District 12, go to the Capitol, try to get sponsors, then to fight in the games. And since the format is almost identical as before, it is plagued by some of the pacing issues that bothered me. So that hasn’t changed.  However, it looks like the next installment should veer away from this format.

I feel every movie should be self-contained, regardless if it is part of a series or not. So when a movie ends in a cliffhanger, I get irritated. I’m sure the books ends the same way, and I know that it will lead directly into Mockingjay, but it’s still irksome that it leaves me hanging.

The Hunger Games: Catthing Fire is everything you want out of a sequel. Peeta is developed much more, and the supporting cast is more enjoyable and interesting than the previous film. Despite some pacing issues that still bog down the story, and a cliff hanger ending, Catching Fire is a great sequel and bodes well for what’s to come in The Hunger Games franchise.

Rating
4/5

For the rest of The Hunger Games series, check out my review for The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games Review

Synopsis
74 years after a failed rebellion, Panem’s twelve districts must send one boy and one girl to the Capitol for the annual Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games, the “tributes” must fight to the death until only one remains standing. When Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) get selected, her sister, Katniss (Jenifer Lawrence), volunteers to take her place. Along with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to prepare to fight for her life.

Review
Apparently 2012 was the year of the archer. It produced The Avengers, Brave, and The Hunger Games. I’m not complaining, they were all really good, and two of which gave us great female characters in Katniss and Merida. But Katniss is definitely my favorite out of the two (and I would be lying if I said Jenifer Lawrence wasn’t a part of it). The Hunger Games delivers a great first entry in a franchise that could potentially be the next successful franchise in the same vein as the Harry Potter series.

The casting was spot on. Lawrence is the perfect fit for Katniss. She is able to balance being a strong woman, doing whatever it takes to survive, with a softer, more delicate and caring side. Woody Harrelson’s grizzle fits perfectly with Heymitch’s rough attitude. Despite not having much screen time, my favorite performance was Stanley Tucci as the charismatic TV personality Caeser Flickerman. It feels like it may have been overacted, but I think that is what made it so entertaining.

The Hunger Games introduces a love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. It’s obvious in the beginning that Katniss and Gale were together, then Katniss and Peeta shared a few moments (and a kiss) during the games that were broadcast to the twelve districts. The fallout was not seen in this movie, but rather delegated to the sequel. I’m happy that wasn’t dealt with here because I felt the relationship between Katniss and Peeta was one of the movie’s weakest elements.

The pacing varied throughout the film and it took a while for the movie to build up. The first half was Katniss and Peeta getting ready for the games. It was focused on building the characters and explaining about the games. But for the most part, nothing interesting happened. Once the Games actually started is when it really drew me in, especially once Katniss displayed her skills as both an archer and a survivalist.

By the end of the film, I didn’t particularly care for the character of Peeta. Hutcherson did well in the role, bringing Peeta’s charisma on screen, but the character wasn’t appealing to me. He started out alright, but he turned into this love-struck teenager that made him seem weaker than I’m sure he is. I’m hoping that as the franchise grows, so will his character.

During the scenes in the forest during the Games, the camera is a shaky cam, similar to a documentary. This both helped and hurt the movie. It helped because it felt like an episode of Man vs. Wild with the cameras following the characters, like your actually watching the Games on your TV. But at the same time, it got really close, limiting the view on screen. And when the action did rev up, it was hard to focus on what was happening.

The Hunger Games aims to be the next successful book franchise to transition onto the big screen, and it’s off to a good start. Casting was perfect, and the characters, and the world in general, have the potential to become well rounded over the course of the franchise. Other than some off pacing, and an unsteady camera, The Hunger Games kick off the franchise well, but still has room to improve.

Rating
3.5/5

For the rest of The Hunger Games series, check out my review for Catching Fire.