Predicted Rating: 3.5 Stars
Directed by: Francis Lawrence (Constantine). Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Josh Hutcherson (Red Dawn) and Liam Hemsworth (The Expendables 2)
Adapted from the best selling novel of the same name, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes place immediately after the events of the first film. After achieving an unlikely victory in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) embark on the victory tour to all 12 districts. Katniss is seen as a beacon of hope for the districts to rise up against the capitol. Growing weary, President Snow (Donald Sutherland as the 2nd best movie president ever) declares that the 75th Hunger Games be one featuring previous winners in order to eliminate them and squash any hope of a rebellion. In the arena Katniss and Peeta enlist the help of Finnick (Sam Clafin) and Johanna (Jenna Malone) to keep them safe from the career tributes.
This discussion was going to be inevitable so I might as well start with it, let's discuss the whole book to movie transition. As I am more of a watcher than a reader, my tactic is to watch the movie then read the book. The vast majority of the time, the book is better than the movie, mainly because the book can include a lot more detail that is difficult to capture on the screen. Hence, watching the movie first allows you to get an overall feel of what the story is like and then you pad out the rest reading the book. It also avoids the disappointment of developing a visual interpretation of the characters in the book and then being bitterly disappointed when the actors look nothing like you thought the character would. My tactic worked a treat for my favourite book, IT by Stephen King. The movie is downright terrifying, mainly due to a bone chilling performance from Tim Curry, however, the book is echelons better. This is mainly due to the inclusion of so many scenes that just wouldn't work on the screen and the fact that the two stories (past and present) intertwine so effortlessly in the book rather than having them as two separate entities in the TV movie. With the first Hunger Games, I think my tactic worked well again. The first film is probably one of the more faithful and accurate interpretations of the source material, whilst still leaving some gaps that need to be filled in by the book. A brilliant way to encourage kids to start reading! Will this work for Catching Fire? Only time will tell.
Now, this is going to sound incredibly stupid but hear me out here, The Hunger Games series is probably one of the most relatable pieces of literature for me. As a man who has been involved in a reality TV show, and in particular, been involved in an onscreen relationship, I can relate to some of the issues Katniss and Peeta have to deal with. In no way was our relationship fake like that of Katniss and Peeta and we were not forced to fake it for the value of entertainment once it ended but there was some manipulation involved. Everything you see on screen was legitimate, however we were forced into situations on occasions for the purpose of entertaining others, just as Katniss and Peeta were. All of this in pursuit of ratings. This made me think, what would of happened if Beauty and the Geek was like the Hunger Games. In someways it is, teams of two (male and female) battling it out to claim the final prize. Obviously there isn't a fight to the death but based on the first couple of nights camping, I would probably back myself in a survival situation.
In the end, this is actually a fantastic movie. At some stages, I was disappointed with the first film because it wasn't well directed, I wasn't a huge fan of the whole shaky cam during the games. However, the direction of Catching Fire was a huge improvement. The film also seems to be a lot more mature than the first. The Hunger Games does a fantastic job of dealing with the sensitive issue of children killing other children for sport but it felt a bit childish. In Catching Fire, you see the characters mature into adults and hence the film seems much more mature. It also doesn't suffer from to second instalment blues that many film series (Star Wars excepted) suffer from. The second film can sometimes feel just as a filler between the establishing story of the first film and the epic finale. Catching Fire does what many sequels fail to do, outshine the first.
Overall: As a tribute to Katniss' signature salute, I want to give Catching Fire 3 stars, however, it is way too good. 4.5 Stars
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