3 pipes out of 4
The odds appear ever in
the favor of the makers of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
continues the tradition of remaining faithful to the books while keeping things
interesting. Unlike Hunger Games which was faithful to the book but seemed to
drag on, Catching Fire is authentic with action all the way. Authenticity is
huge to the fan base when it comes to books being made into movies and the
folks at Lionsgate have figured out the formula. The cast is back with Jennifer
Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Woody
Harrelson as Haymitch. There are some interesting new additions of Jeffery
Wright and academy award winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman’s interactions
with Donald Sutherland are surprisingly compelling considering they remove the
audience from the action of Games. Having these two Oscar winners play off of each
other’s vindictiveness is truly awesome. The romantic relationship of Peeta and
Katiniss is expanded as they tour through the districts with Panem on the verge
of revolution. While Gale (Liam Hemsworth) is rushed into romantic feelings of
Katniss, Peeta is given the slow burn, gaining traction with Katniss as well
the audience. Gale is put on the backburner and essentially ignored except for
a few brief moments where he tries to guilt Katniss into having feelings or him.
Once the games begin twists are thrown left and right keeping you on the edge
of your seat with the connection between tributes increased tenfold from the
previous film. The ending leaves the audience wanting more although it was
vaguely reminiscent of the ending from Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 but definitely
worth seeing.
