The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

I noticed a trend in Holywood today where it seems that teenage love movies based on best selling books are tend to show quite often and surprisingly the demands for it is rather high. I think that trend starts from the success of The Twilight Saga movies like a contagious itchy rash that can't be cured and it spawns many spiritual successor (mostly better than the the Twilight Saga itself but it doesn't help much) like I am Number Four, City of Bones, The Host, etc. I guess subconsciously speaking, i tend to compare that kind of movies with Twilight because it is the movie that start this trend and it also managed to set the bar for that genre really-really low in my mind. I also happen to hate teenage. Hell, i even hate myself when i was teenage so teenage movies aren't actually in my top list of must-to-watch movies, more like must-to-avoid kind of movies. So when my friend told me that she want to watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which based on best selling books about teenage loves drama set in dystopian future my first reaction was "Can we just Watch something with more testosterone in it?" But, since she is the one who paid for my ticket i can't say no, i never say no to free movie ticket. Turns out, that free ticket she gave me was actually worth it.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a sequel to The Hunger Games and for some quick recap for the first movie, here is what i know about it: I never Watched The Hunger Games. So yeah, i came watching that movie in a blind mode, saves for some brief explanation that my friend told to me. As you might know, Reviewing a sequel without watching it's previous movie is like working as an accountant who never introduced to math before but on the bright side, i can review the movie as its own unique movie so i am going to aim for that.

After Surviving the initial 74th Hunger Games by breaking the basic rule of "only one can survive"  Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) back to their home in district 12. Katniss and Peeta are required to take the victory tour of the country. President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and tells her she has inspired rebellions in the districts, when she and Peeta threatened suicide so both might survive the games. He orders Katniss to convince the entire country that her and Peeta's love was the reason for their actions, and to convince Snow himself.

Right After they finished the victory tour and return home, Katniss warns her close friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), of President Snow's threat to kill both their families. Snow announces Panem's third Quarter Quell, a special version of the Hunger Games held every 25 years; for this Quell, all tributes are to be selected from the existing pool of victors. Katniss immediately devotes herself to ensuring Peeta becomes the Quarter Quell's victor, should he compete in the games. At the reaping, Katniss, the district's only living female tribute, and Haymitch are reaped by chaperone Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Bank). Peeta volunteers to take Haymitch's (Woody Harrelson) place and is sent directly to the train with Katniss, without a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. They must fight a new Hunger Games with more deadly enemies and survive but again, only one of them can survive.

From the start, Catching Fires world's caught my attention with it's unique settings. I really like how they describe the state of Panem condition like how the poor live, how the rebellion grows big because of Katniss act in the previous hunger games, their technology and yes, even the over the top silly fashion conscious rich peoples who dressed like...i don't know what they dressed like.

Obvious joke reference, abandoned.
 

Speaking of the story, it surprisingly filled with interesting plot point and unexpected turn that kinda make me go "whoa" like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. It focus more in the main characters struggle and her condition as the symbol of hope for revolution which pisses the President of Panem really bad. But they can't just kill a symbol so the president with the help of the new game master  Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is trying to make Katniss look bad in TV before they finally put her in the ground for good. You really feel that the villain is evil, in a good evil way. The movie manages to pull the feeling of the character's hopelessness in the screen and delivers it to the audience very well.

The other good things that this movie have is it's line up of interesting characters with a their own distinct personality and moral complexity and that is a recipe for a great movie in my book. I found that the character that i think was the most generic narcissistic antagonist at the start becomes the most interesting character later on and they managed to make me keep guessing about that characters motives until the end. Most of it's characters feels unique with a specific role that made them feels significant and not just a cannon fodder.

In the performance department, the cast of this movies really works well in portraying the characters they played. Jeniffer Lawrence as Katniss did a good job being a no nonsense bad ass girl and most of the supporting characters is doing a good job as well. The real show stealer is  Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair who manages to show such a good portrayal of complex character who are dreamy and gorgeous.

If there is something that i don't like about this movie it is the love interest. I really don't like how they pictured the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawhthorne. You know that in most teenage love drama someone have to be the damsel in distress and in this case Peeta and Gale is the damsel in distress...with penis. Both Peeta and Gale keeps whining on how they really wants Katniss love's and has to be rescued by Katniss quite often. Peeta is the one who annoy me the most since he seems so unreliable and uninteresting in the line of the unique games participant itself. They should have made Peeta a little bit more reliable and less whining.

The cliffhanger ending also bogs some people because its quite abrupt at the end of the movie. It also contains some of the most interesting part that really need to be explained more. I know that they are planning on making the next movie for sure but at least make the ending less abrupt will you.

In conclusion, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a really well made movies that surprised me. It surpass my initial expectation and really made me want to know more about this franchise. Even if i haven't watched the first movie, i still found myself immersed in the story and the world of The Hunger Games. This movie might be one of the finest movie in this year.

Initial El Review Score

8.5

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