The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Fearing an uprising over Katniss and Peeta's success at The Hunger Games, he changed the rules for the upcoming 75th games, the pair are right back inside the deadly games, only this time, the competition is much tougher.

With the release of the new film just around the corner, I wanted to revisit them all, my feelings haven't changed, I still think that this is the best of the lot so far, I think it's better than the original film.

I think it's a little slow to start, the impression you get early on is that it's an in depth look at life for Katniss and Peeta after the games, but when the twist comes, the film really does open up.

It's not overlong, I'm glad they didn't push it out any further.

There are some exciting sequences, these games really do provide a few thrills.

Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss, her performance for me is superior to her previous one, she's excellent, as are Philip Seymour Hoffman and Donald Sutherland. Toby Jones, still doesn't work for me here.

Best of the lot for me.

8/10.

I first want to say that if you are a fan of the books, you will NOT be disappointed. Compared to the first movie adaption, this one soars, leaving the other movie to die out in the hot desert sun.

I had re-read the book a day before I saw it and so I could see what the critical changes were. I would know every fine detail they let out. I first have to let you know that every book-to-movie adaption can't have 100% of the book in their. Plus, the new director, Francis Lawrence, had to clean up the mistakes the first director left out. Another thing, all the very important and even some parts you might think Hollywood would oversee is stitched together.

This has to be the BEST book-to-movie adaption I have ever seen. The visuals, for one, is spectacular. $140 million budget was not wasted, that's for sure! The director packed every little intricate piece possible to make it THE BEST experience us fans could have.

The acting was phenomenal. Katniss is a lot more lively now, because Jennifer Lawrence finally understood her character. The whole cast, including Sam and Josh, were amazing. Even the actress who played Johanna Mason, was FUNNY!

The music, however, copied the first, because I bought the first soundtrack, so I know every little musical detail. They must have used the same music and added a few more. That was sad. But, it did fit with the scene.

The action and suspense will never leave you, as the ending is a cliff hanger, holding on for dear life! (Hunger Games book fans: you won't be disappointed with the ending)

Without a shadow of a doubt, this movie, Catching Fire, really does catch fire and immerses the audience in the Hunger Games. I was truly speechless after the film because it was just so beautiful and satisfying. You don't want to miss the best film of the year, and possibly the highest grossing film of all time!!!

I must say, I was worried about this one. Catching Fire is my favorite book of the trilogy, but cinematically it makes absolutely no sense. The Hunger Games reads like a screenplay--Catching Fire is a meandery epic full of worldbuilding and exposition for a war that won't even begin until Mockingjay. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this installment of the hit franchise, directed by industry rookie Francis Lawrence, was maybe even more engaging than its predecessor.

Visually, it is a feat. The attention to detail is remarkable. Lawrence, along with screenwriters Michael Hardt and Suzanne Collins herself, manages to weave in all of the necessary set up to the upcoming war against The Capitol without it feeling tedious or heavy-handed. The new additions to the cast, most notably Philip Seymor Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee and Sam Claflin's Finnick O'Dair, are excellent, and the dialogue is much less wooden than, forgive me, the dialogue in the books sometimes is. Moreover, it is impressive that even with so many new people and so many moving parts, the central thread of Rebellion shines through.

Of course, with so much plot, so much to set up, one can hardly blame Catching Fire for falling short in the emotional department--as is, it clocks in at 2 hours and 26 minutes--but I did find myself wanting some steamier Peeta/Katniss action. I was disappointed by Lawrence's apparent disregard for the relationship between Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, no relation) and Peeta (the incomparable Josh Hutcherson). To me, Catching Fire is about Peeta. It's the Peeta show.

Here's the thing: Katniss is supposed to be conflicted, not indifferent about Peeta. In the paper version, the reader, and by extension Katniss herself, feels truly torn between Gale and Peeta. She can't help but slowly fall in love with Peeta, who is so charming and funny and relentlessly Good. In this iteration, Katniss and Peeta have little to no chemistry, and Peeta only speaks when it is necessary to move the plot forward. Gale, on the other hand, is 6'4 and literally a Hemsworth. That he is a Hemsworth is no one's fault, I guess, but maybe Peeta should have been allowed to say some of the cute stuff he says in the books.

The "adults" in the cast--Woody Harrelson's Haymitch and Donald Sutherland's President Snow have much meatier roles than they do in the books. To their credit, they are fantastic. But I can't help but wonder how much more potent this movie could have been if Lawrence had trusted his young stars a bit more with the emotional heavy lifting.

Though it fell a bit short of exceptional, Catching Fire is by no means a Sophomore Slump, and I look forward to watching Mockingjay Part 1 on the big screen when it comes out!

Ever since I first saw it in theaters, Catching Fire has been one of my favorite movies of all time. It's so much better than the first one. It explores the story's political conflict more deeply and greatly expands on the dystopian universe.

The new director gives it a fresh and improved vision. The first one had audiences criticizing the shaky and desaturated camerawork and this sequel fixed it. Even though one this movie involves Katniss and Peeta competing in the games again, it never feels like a repeat of the first one. They understand that viewers already know how the games work and take advantage of the chance to explore new concepts with it.

Catching Fire should be an example to all filmmakers of how to do a good sequel.

I think this instalment was the best movie in the series. It has the perfect balance of action and storyline. It expands the world with more backstory and characters, and the effects were better so it was more convincing and we felt like we were part of this world. The casting was quite fitting.