Hunger Games: Catching Fire

[Adak]

Just saw it. Not nearly as good as the first Hunger Games movie.

The out of the games portion of it was tepid, nothing got resolved.

Inside the new "game" portion, it just lacked the good dramatic touches that made the earlier movie, good. Again, very little got resolved, and what did, either was obvious it would happen, or something entirely out of left field.

The climax wasn't much either. You could almost blink and miss it.

This movie screams for the current script to catch on fire, and a better one to be delivered, fast!

It's rated 8 out of 10 on Imdb - 5.6 would be more appropriate. Look for that rating to drop after it's been viewed more.

[Aliantha]

Have you read the books adak?

[Adak]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Have you read the books adak?

I have not, but I realize the difficulty of taking a successful book series like "Hunger Games", into a set of movies.

My review above is really generous. They paid Jennifer something like 1,000 times as much to replay her role - fine, but they must have gotten the director out of a dime store special.

No, I did not like this movie. Doesn't hold a candle with the first Hunger Games, movie. I understand that you need to "move the story forward", in some movies, and they won't be great, on their own, because of it. Deathly Hallows Part I was like that, as was the next to last movie in the Twilight series.

But THIS, is much worse than that. It does move the story line ahead, but it's much worse than it needed to be.

Go see it, and tell me what you think. I nearly laughed aloud when "Tick Tock" was explained!

Just as a counter example, I will hold up the Bourne Trilogy. I read each of the Bourne books, and really, the books were mostly junk from Robert Ludlum, but there was a core story was that great.

So the director had the entire book story re-written for the first Bourne movie, and it was a GEM - magnificent!! Subsequent movies continued that great theme from The Bourne Identity, and every single movie was SENSATIONAL!

If you want to see how a great book series can be turned into a great movie series, watch the Bourne, Identity, Bourne Supremacy, and Bourne Ultimatum, and you will be in SHOCK at how well it can be done.

And left to groan at this Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

[Aliantha]

The only reason I asked is that the second HG book was a lot like you suggested the movie was. It was laying the foundation for the third and final book, so I'm not really surprised at your review. I am probably going to see the movie today anyway, so I will get back to you after that.

[orthodoc]

Interesting. I've read the books but haven't seen the movies yet. I'll watch the first movie before seeing Catching Fire.

I agree that the second book merely moves things along toward the climax and denouement. However, I think the biggest problem with the trilogy is that the protagonist is so hard to root for. Maybe it's part of the author's genius in giving us a protagonist we can't really like, much less love, yet we find ourselves backed into the corner of admitting that we might react and act that way in similar circumstances. Nevertheless, it's hard to love a character who is herself incapable of love.

[Lola Bunny]

I agree with Orthodoc. I remember being annoyed and cuss at the protagonist while reading the books.

[Aliantha]

Saw the movie. Loved it. Cant wait for the next one.

As to Katniss, shes just a kid dealing with adult situations. I think her character is spot on. I disagree that she doesnt know how to love. I think its totally the opposite. She loves deeply, but is still figuring out how it all fits.

[Sundae]

Seeing the trailers took me back to Limey's post about UK/ US from an ex-pat's point of view.
The books/ films seem to be set in an American (Canadian) dystopia, but I bring much of my own experiences and vistas to anything I read.

I'm pretty sure the distances in the books are well represented in the films, but the scale of them and the building/ arena/ travelling floored me. With so much sky how could anyone be oppressed? Yes, I know it happens in real life. But I've never lived in China or Russia or any sweeping landscape where an iron fist can stretch over thousands of miles. It's unsettling.

Oh and they're all too young. I liked Hogwarts, with its combination of emptiness and crowded school-ness and really old people. Who might actually have wrinkles.

Still, just watched trailers and interviews is finally helping me get the names right. I think I've mentioned this before, but from the get-go I read Katniss as Kate-ness. Of course is wasn't, Gale misheards her names as Catnip when they meet. But I could shift it feom my mind. Ditto Petta being Petta.

Meh, because of having to watch Catfish with subtitles I am still baffled that Nev is called Neeve.

Finally (promise) the narrative of the hype really doesn't match what I read.
It's all about the ruling classes and the pampered elite and the downtrodden who are risig up. Whereas to me it's the have, the have-nots and permanant power struggles to stop things changing places. Class does not come into it.

Thought that with the US marketing of Shaun of the Dead. Slacker movie. Group of slackers have to try to save themselves. Wasters have to finally succeed at something or die. See how losers luck their way through a zombie attack. Hmmm. Just a zom-com-rom to me. With a few beers and spliffs.

[Aliantha]

Have you read the books sundae?

[Sundae]

Oh yes.
But I admit I haven't seen the films, I'm only going on the scraps of visuals which have come my way.

[Aliantha]

You should see them sundae. Imo, they're pretty good.

[Sundae]

Somewhere along the line I will.
Cimema is SO expensive though. I need to go on some dates

[Aliantha]

Yes, you do! lol