(Editor’s note: this article was written by Paige Clark)
Let the games begin!! This past weekend Catching Fire, the much-anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games, was released for millions of fans.
Now if you aren’t familiar with the Hunger Games or have been living under a rock, here is a quick catch up. If you haven’t seen Hunger Games I would suggest you watch it before you read this because I will spoil it for you.
In the Hunger Games you follow a regular girl named Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who lives in the 12th District of the post apocalyptic fictional country of Panem (where America used to be). You meet Katniss on a “holiday” called Reaping Day. It’s the day where a boy and a girl between the ages of 12-18 are selected to be tribute for their districts (there are 12). These children are thrown into a fight to the death, known as the Hunger Games, which is publicized to the country. The games are fought as a reminder and punishment of the revolution that was put to an end by the Capitol 74 years ago.
The male counterpart to Katniss is Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who has a very big crush on Katniss. This turns out to be their saving grace. The play up of their “love” during the game is what saves their lives. The rules are temporarily changed to allow two tributes from the same district to win. Right when you breathe a sigh of relief and think Katniss and Peeta are about to be declared victors they change the rules back to only one can win. This is changed again by Katniss’s defiance to not allow the Capitol to control her any longer. Just before the two star crossed lovers were about to eat some deadly berries it is announced that they both win. But what the two, especially Katniss, did not realize is that in that small act nothing will ever be the same.
This brings us to Catching Fire. Katniss is threatened by President Snow (Donald Sutherland) that if she can’t convince the rest of Panem and him that her and Peeta’s love story is the real deal then her and her loved ones are in danger. Katniss is torn several different ways where her heart is concerned. Before Peeta expressed his love for her, Katniss is really close to Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). Gale and Katniss have a completely different relationship than her and Peeta. Katniss does have actual feelings for both boys (whether she will admit it or not) but she is so consumed with constantly being in fear of her life and those of her family that she doesn’t have time to think about anything but protecting everyone.
Since the beginning of the Hunger Games, every 25 years they have a Quarter Quell, and this year is the 75th year of the Hunger Games so it’s also the 3rd Quarter Quell. This means that almost anything can happen. In an effort to control Katniss and the previous Victors (who Snow thinks poses a new threat), Snow and his new Head Game Maker Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) come up with a way to take them out. For the 75th Hunger Games the tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of Victors. Which means for District 12, since Katniss is the only living female Victor, she is going back to the Hunger Games. She makes a deal with her Mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) that no matter what happens in the Games that Peeta will live.
The Game Makers pull out all the stops for this year’s Games. Will Haymitch keep his promise to Katniss to keep Peeta alive? Or will Snow get his wish and they both die? I guess you’ll just have to see the movie, or better yet just read the book so you don’t have to wait another 2 years for the movies to be over!!
Overall I think they did an absolute fantastic job with this movie. I liked it a lot better than Hunger Games. All the actors (especially Lawrence) really became their characters. Every person that was casted for this movie was perfect, including the secondary characters. One of my favorite characters is Ceasar Flickerman, played by the wonderful (and my personal favorite) Stanley Tucci. He plays the boisterous host of the Hunger Games. One of my favorite things though is his bright white perfect teeth that makes him look like Walter Matthau from Dennis the Menace when Dennis switches Mr. Wilson’s front teeth with Chiclets.
Donald Sutherland is completely terrifying as President Snow. In the movie he speaks of how hope is more worrisome than fear (as far as keeping the country under control) but I disagree very strongly with him, because if I was in a room alone with President Snow, I would pee my pants for sure. Also, it was very nice of the director to let Phillip Seymour Hoffman play Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee. He has such a subtleness about him that you almost don’t even notice him even though he plays a very critical role in this movie.
I do love very much that they stuck so close to the book. Obviously they had to leave quite a bit out, but nothing that took away from the story. One thing that they didn’t mention in the first movie but is much more evident in the second one is that Peeta lost a leg at the end of the Hunger Games. There is a scene in Catching Fire where he is having a hard time keeping up so it makes him look weak, but its because he has a fake leg. It probably would have helped if they had mentioned it. They did add a random character, a little girl that plays Snow’s granddaughter, but really it was a brilliant move because she lets Snow see the impact that Katniss is having in all parts of Panem.
I did love how they showed what was going on in the Capitol and what Snow was doing in the movies. The books are told from Katniss’s perspective so obviously she doesn’t know what Snow is doing or thinking. The movies made it easier to see the big picture and the beginnings of a rebellion started by Katniss’s defiance during the Hunger Games.
I really just enjoy the story of the Hunger Games, as an American, you almost have to because it’s ultimately about the small over coming the big, the weak standing up against the powerful, the wrongs being righted. One of my favorite parts is when Katniss and Peeta are at the President’s house during their last stop on their Victory Tour. There is way too much food to be able to try everything, but they are informed that if they drink a specific drink that it will make them vomit so they can continue to eat (they decline). It is exactly what the Romans would do at their lavish parties. It does a good job of showing the excess and corruptness of the Capitol. Which just makes you root for Katniss even more.
Pros
• Acting more convincing than first movie
• Stuck close to the book
• Extremely well casted
Cons
• We have to wait another year for the next one
I don’t know what rate you would normally score a movie whether it is 3, 5, or 10 stars. I would definitely give it 3 thumbs if I had more than 2 to give.