Monday night at the domestic premiere of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, fans gathered to not only catch a glimpse of the film’s stars, but also they were anxiously awaiting an invite into the Nokia theater to be one of the first audiences to see the film.
The first HUNGER GAMES was a disappointment. The filmmaking seemed low budget and too raw for what its target audience was wanting. I went in hoping that CATCHING FIRE was an improvement from the first film, and the writing was a step up, too. I am happy to say that Francis Lawrence delivered not only an improvement to the cinematic experience of THE HUNGER GAMES world, but also he has rendered a film full of excitement, suspense, love, and righteousness.
CATCHING FIRE is on my list as one of the best book-to-film adaptations. A large part of this is thanks to the writing by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt, a pair that has transformed the world of Panem into a thrilling, action-packed adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire 2 1/2 hours. This feat was accomplished by creating dialogue that makes sense in its cinematic context, not its book context (a mistake every book-to-film adaptation makes). For those of you that have yet to read the trilogy, CATCHING FIRE could very much be a stand-alone film; however, I’d suggest reading the book to get a more detailed narrative of what’s going on.
Something noticeably absent from the film was its well-promoted soundtrack featuring big, mega artists like Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Lorde, and more. The film was only supplemented with its original score, no depressing love ballads. This choice was smart. Music in movies has become such a ‘thing’ in Hollywood that the music takes away from the moments on screen. Music by particular artists is being pushed like never before to popularize and converge two entertainment mediums into one. CATCHING FIRE brings us back to that time when the music was simple, emotional, and supplemental to the overall picture.
I don’t want to give too many spoilers away about what happens in the film, but I do want to point out that in addition to the great writing, the acting is absolutely superb. There were no awkward or unbearable deliveries. As fans of THE HUNGER GAMES, the chemistry between Katniss and Peeta in the movie was just not to-par with how their relationship was described in the book. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are so much more improved since the first film; however, I still have trouble finding Liam Hemsworth’s acting as genuine even in this film …
CATCHING FIRE leaves you wanting more (and by more, I mean watching it over and over and over again). I give this film 5 stars! Bravo!
CATCHING FIRE opens in theaters nationwide TOMORROW, Nov 22nd! Buy your advanced tickets here.