Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

By Elie - 6:52 AM

So I may have just dropped a post 2 days ago apologizing for my sudden missing act but here I am again, actively leaving my footprints online! My pictures are still undergoing a major process of getting hand picked and watermarked (Because I am a paranoid parrot although I don't take nice photos but yeah better safe than sorry!) so you could expect posts on Hong Kong maybe the next week or so.

 Let's get a mockingjay on fire, woohoo!
Pic credits to: Nuffnang Malaysia

Anyway let's get along before I side track anymore! Ah yes, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, a much anticipated movie following the success of The Hunger Games in 2012. It apparently opens today but as per always, Nuffnang has been super onz in getting me tickets to watch it in the Nuffnang Premiere Screening of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire! Luckily for me though, I also got invited as a plus one to Elwyn's winning from ChurpChurp so I gave my pair of tickets to Steph and Chan who coincidentally now have a blog and have just joined Nuffnang! Yay!

Just in case you're like myself, I'll give you a brief run through on what this is all about. The Hunger Games is a trilogy of novels written by Suzanne Collins in 2008 that tells of a girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in Panem, South America who voluntarily takes over the place of her sister in what is known as The Hunger Games. (Well duh!) It is a yearly affair of which a boy and a girl aged between 12 to 18 are picked out from the 12 districts in which is controlled by The Capitol to be in a lottery styled game and compete to their death.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire continues just off what was shown in the movies as per 2012 and it tells of how Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark has to go around all 12 districts to parade on their "love" as victors of the 74th Hunger Games. Unfortunately, things go a little awry on they are called back for the 75th Hunger Games to compete all over again. Which means, you just kind of die. Again. It's pretty sad but that's really how I see for it to be without prior knowledge of this entire trilogy. Do not stone me to death, the only series of novels I've read is Harry Potter.

I have this expression on me because I utterly hate my make up.
Pic credits to: http://nicktiffany.com

Jennifer Lawrence puts up her act as Katniss Everdeen once again because hello, it wouldn't make sense if Katniss was someone else in The Hunger Games and then they switch her midway in Catching Fire. I caught a line of which Elwyn said to Henry while we were waiting for our tickets: How long can Jennifer Lawrence stay being Katniss? That said, Katniss is supposed to be 16 but Lawrence here looks like she's in her late 20s, nearing 30s. Performance wise I think she was a complete lack in things. For one she didn't do very convincing crying scenes, I thought she looked more like she was constipated or so. She didn't smile that well either so it's almost like she's Kristen Stewart except prettier.

I'll just stand here looking good.
Pic credits to: http://collider.com

Josh Hutcherson is Peeta Mellark, the fateful "partner" to Katniss who has to somehow stay by her side because they are apparently madly in love. That's how they got out of the first games anyway. I think as a hurt guy who realizes that he's been used to just stay alive from the first prequel, Peeta is quite a charming character. You can't help but to feel bad for him...then they put him in the games and all I thought about was how useless he is. I'm sorry, Peeta but I think you should have just...died. Hutcherson is undoubtedly handsome and I cannot recall where I've seen this good looking face before but he's got a lacking in some ways as an actor. I can't seem to brain what isn't there but he's just missing out on some parts, really.

Move over, Hutcherson. Dimples are the way to go.
Pic credits to: http://collider.com

You cannot get any cuter than to have dimples on a guy. Sam Claflin plays Finnick Odair, the victor from District 4 with a flair to show off his good looks. He is however a boy who is very much in love with a girl named Annie and somewhat loyal to who has become his partner in the games; Mags. I figured that as the pretty boy, Claflin fits pretty well but I didn't quite see the charm in him as much as I saw in Hutcherson. Sure, he is much more useful in the games as compared (Lol, I'm sorry I still think Peeta should have just died!) yet as a man who is supposedly emotional from his separation with the girl he loves to the death of his mentor and ex-tribute Mags, he's moving on a lot of misses. Space for improvement maybe?

I had to collage them together. HAD TO.
Pic credits to: (Haymitch)  http://www.sonicnation.ca

I don't regularly talk about more than 3 characters in my reviews but for some reason unknown, my heart drove me to talk about Haymitch by Woody Harrelson and Effie by Elizabeth Banks. I could have sworn to remember Harrelson's face from somewhere and true to call, I've seen him in a 1997 production called Wag The Dog. I think it was during Su's Publicity class or something. I think he did great even when he didn't have that much a screen time in Catching Fire. Maybe it's because he is an old soul in acting but being a drunk then promising Katniss things he did, those were really touching. Banks however, I've never seen but I really liked how she brought up the ever so enthusiastic Effie with the craziest of fake eyelashes, mad eyeshadow and an unexplainable hairdo. I give her really huge brownie points for all that. A search on Google shows that there are fan arts of Haymitch and Effie getting together so...I figured a collage of them somewhat "together" would suffice.

Right, so it seems I've rambled loads after being missing for a while. I'll just close off to saying Catching Fire was a really intriguing movie to watch, even without prior knowledge to The Hunger Games although knowing it would have done you better. It's worthy of your 2 and a half hours though what with the first hour being pretty boring because they tried too hard to build it up then the remaining time being of them in the games. Munch on your popcorn for the first hour then try not to choke on your drink for the next 1 and a half hours with the shocking scenes. *Coughsstupidmonkeyscough* I'm throwing up at 7.5/10 on my personal scale simply because they feature lots of really good looking people in the movie and also because it's actually quite a nice movie to watch la. Good luck getting tickets amidst the mad fan throngs! I'm going back to photo picking.

P/S: I have no idea why the subtitles had to take up HALF of the freaking screen throughout the movie. It's like calling for attention that you read the subtitles instead of watch the movie. Hello, if I had wanted to read I would stay home without make up and look ugly, curled up by the book okay?!

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2 comments

  1. Ooh, I just saw the first one this week. Good timing to see the second while the first is still in my mind.

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    Replies
    1. Yes! Go throng for a ticket hahahaha so that you don't forget anything! :D

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