Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

By: Nicolette Karter

 

        In honor of its recent DVD release, I would like to talk about how much I like this movie. As far as sequels go, it’s one of the better ones. It might help that it was a book first, but either way they did a good job. The budget got quite the increase from the first movie, so they could afford to do a good job; or make a terrible, cheap movie and pocket the rest. I’d respect them either way (kidding). But fortunately, they made a good movie that people can now buy.

        So it opens up with Katniss about to go on her victory tour, a thing where the victors of the Hunger Games go around to the other districts and basically shove it in their faces that they are alive because they killed the friends/family members of the people they’re visiting. Tensions are understandably high in that circumstance, but seeing as the whole “two people got to live this time” thing started a rebellion, there were outbursts throughout the whole tour. This only made President Snow even more mad/excitingly evil. I don’t like the character, but I like how good a bad guy Donald Sutherland is. I heard about a movie from the ‘70’s he was in, & he looked so young!! I’ve only ever seen him older & white haired, so it was cool. It’s called Don’t Start The Revolution Without Me, and yes, I’m just now getting the irony.

        So anyway, President Snow’s pissed he’s losing control, the Districts are mad because they never had any control, & everyone just needs to take a chill pill. Evidently, they don’t take my advice (they never do), so things get a bit dicey. District 12 gets a new sheriff in town, and he whips our poor Gale! Then our poor Peeta sees how much Katniss cares for him; as if being played by a Hemsworth brother wasn’t lucky enough, he also gets the girl (& the girls/half the men watching). This is when President Snow thinks it’s time to have an all-star version of the Hunger Games. Because putting the most loved celebrity back into a fight to the death with other loved celebrities will definitely get you off of everyone’s shit-list.

        So, we meet other victors, some of which are cool, some of which are played by actors who I think I might think are cooler if they were played by an actor who I found better, more attractive, or more talented, or something. But, all the actors did a great job nonetheless, and the arena was exciting (as a viewer, not so much for the contestants). The special effects were awesome, and I loved the ending. I read the book before the movie came out and I loved it then, but I still thought the end of the arena-the beginning of the credits was splendid. And not just because it meant I could pee for the first time in over 2 hours, or because it was finally the end of a terrible movie like August: Osage County. Man that was a terrible movie; I know I just said that, but wow. I did not like that one bit.

        Anyway, I did like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It was a good movie all the way around, and I can’t wait for the next installment to come out. PS-congrats to Josh & Jennifer for winning Best Male & Female Performance at the MTV Movie Awards & the movie itself won Best Movie of the Year. What did you guys think of the film? What do you want me to review next?