Decker

DRG

And this is sort of my initial issue... it's a twist that exists for the audience's sake but doesn't 100% make sense realistically. They rationalized it, but for such a supposedly carefully plotted out strategy they left too much up to chance... maybe book 3 explains this was plan B and they actually had a better plan lined up, I don't know.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it. But this one seemed to be built on a shakier premise than the first.

Decker

Yeah, book 3 has a lot of exposition in the beginning to explain the thinking behind their plan. They never really do get at why they seemed to come very close to killing her in the Arena though.

hanshotfirst1138

Mr. Salty

iggystar

It's been ages since I've read the book, but from what I recall there was no attempt to keep the character's motives completely secret. It was hinted at right from the beginning that he might be a sympathizer.

hanshotfirst1138

Plutarch isn't exactly a subtle name.

Mr. Salty

Seems like I've read that somewhere.

Baron Of Hell

In the book he showed her his pocket watch that had a hidden mocking bird in it. This was to show her he was part of the resistance and to give her a hint on the nature of the game.

I liked the movies more than the books. The movies were about the same in quality for me. This was my favorite book of the three though.

I don't think I would have liked the movies without first reading the books.

Lara Means

I guess nobody gave a shit about this movie.

hdtv00

its far better than the first movie, which I thought was ok,boring at times. although this one was a little long probably and had lots of story being told I just felt it was more interesting and core importance. I never read books and have no idea how anything plays out but really enjoyed this movie.

agree poison fog is stupid and lame! half the theater gave out cheers and clapped when she brought it down, I did see cliffhanger ending coming but its cool. really excited for another or hell just to see this one again.

watched it in Dolby Atmos theater, 64 channel surround it got cool during the games in jungle sound wise.

superdeluxe

The wife says the pocket watch with the mocking jay, she felt that he was 'teasing' katniss, by basically saying he had her in his pocket.

superdeluxe

What?

Baron Of Hell

When reading the book i felt Katniss was confused by it but given Katniss's attitude in general she might have thought he was teasing her. However, it becomes obvious he was trying to warn her after he helps rescue her and he explains the meaning of mocking jay as it relates to the resistance. He actually comes right out and tells her he was trying to warn her in book 3.

One thing they didn't show in the movie was how clueless she was. She was trying to kill people on her side even when she was on the ship.

dconev

Where The Hunger Games had a strong self-contained narrative, Catching Fire plays ultimately like two and a half hours of setup – its downbeat cliffhanger of a climax was a perfect gut punch on the page but here leaves you aching for emotional resolution.

hanshotfirst1138

"Slave driver, be careful, when the tables are turned, try to catch a fire, you're gonna get burned."
Bob Marley and the Wailers

Hats off to Messrs Lawrence and Lawrence, for once, you can believe the hype. Classy, handsome, exciting, well-acted, and smart, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is every bit the great sequel it should be. The rare sequel that actually adds to the world of its predecssor rather than diminishing it, it's wider scope actually find that it has more to say.. Picking up after Gary Ross' original adaptation Suzanne Collins' blockbuster young adult novel, the story finds heroine Katniss Everdeen haunted by the memories of the murders she was forced to commit in the Hunger Games, brutal gladiatorial games designed by the Capital to oppress the poor people of Pan-Am, what remains of the US, while the malevolent oligarchs live in decadent prosperity. Still faking her romance to Peeta, whom she saved in the Games in violation of all rules, while trying to sort out her feelings for her longtime love Gale (A square-jawed Chris Hemsworth), she's visited by the malevolent President Snow. He informs her that action was seen as an act of rebellion, with many Districts rising up. As the Capital desperately grinds its heel and robs them of any reason to live though, Katniss may have finally given them a cause worth dying for. Snow blackmails her and the other surviving Tributes back into the area, but though Katniss is again a pawn in their much larger game, there may be more going on than she realizes.

Director Francis Lawrence capably handles the upper-end PG-13 thrills with great skill, the film is sleek and exciting, occasionally frightening, and always engaging, even rectifying the overused shaky cam or Ross' otherwise excellent first installment. As a weakness in the source material, however, it can't help but feel a bit like a retread of the first installment, with the real meat of the narrative yet to come, and screenwriters Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt seem intent on making sure almost every page of the book is up on the screen. But if it's longer, it's also richer, the characters more nuanced, and the expansion of the film's fictional world more rewarding.

Uniformly well-cast, almost all returning face are excellent and the newcomers make an equally strong impression. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence continues to bring her chops to what's bound to go down as her iconic signature role, Josh Hutcherson remains both strong and vulnerable, and square-jawed Liam Hemsworth hints at a larger role in the future. Donald Sutherland remains appropriately malevolent as president who's frightening without ever raising his voice. But it's Woody Harrelson who remains the scene-stealer as the drunken Haymitch, a former District 12 victor who might have more on his mind that he leads anyone to believe. Newcomers are universally strong too, with the always excellent Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the mysterious new game-maker Plutarch (Subtle name, huh?), the handful of and new tributes given fine personality, particularly Sam Claflin as a the handsome Finnick, who's handsome exterior hides deeper feelings, and a sexy Jena Malone as a fiery tribute who's explosive temper might prove as important as her fighting skills.

Much was made of the film's rushed production, which caused director Gary Ross to bow out due to the accelerated schedule, but against all odds, Lawrence handles things surprisingly well. Allocated a bigger budget, he makes the most of it, depicting both the Capital, in garish colors that would blind Douglas Sirk, and the rustic Districts with equal detail. The Twilight-style love triangle is handled tastefully and wisely doesn't overwhelm the narrative, the actions sequences are all crisp, coherent, and exciting, and Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems shoot on crisp 35mm with a handful of sequence shot with grander IMAX scope. In spite of his music video roots, Lawrence may be in love with lush visuals, but he's more classy and less flashy than than such a pedigree would suggest, allowing the story room to breath, carefully composing his shots, and the strong screenplay gives his visuals some substance to fall back on.

Stronger character dynamics, a widened scope, great design and FX work, and terrific performances help The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out a winner, with a classic Empire Strikes Back-style cliffhanger ending that tantalizingly hints at the final installments. How well Lawrence and his crew will follow through remains to be seen, but for the time being, the sequel sure puts on a hell of a show and sets the bar nice and high. Sleek, classy, smart, and exciting, the summer may be over, but the year's best blockbuster is here to thaw out the winter.

Superman07

We ended up catching a showing of this last night and both enjoyed it very much. We finally had watched the first a few weeks ago on Netflix and enjoyed it as well. Neither of us had read book 2, so there were some good surprises. Sure I had an idea where the story was going based on reading of book 1 and the story may be a bit on the generic side, but I think it has been executed exceptionally well from the acting, directing, pacing and music. I didn't feel like a 2.5 hour film to me. If anything, the end came and I was surprised it ended so quickly.

Currently I'd say it's my favorite film of the year. Looking forward to the next installment.

fumanstan

I finally watched this on New Years Day, and really liked it. Much better then the first movie to me, which didn't seem to flow as well nor did I feel like it handled the conflict between the districts and the capital well. I thought they did far better with that this time around, especially with the emotional scenes such as the man getting shot in District 11 or Cinna getting beaten. I liked the acting choices for Finnick and Johanna, and thought both did well. I read the book before the movies came out, and had forgotten most of what happens, so a lot of the movie felt new to me

Paff

RE: Suzanne Collins' horrible names. Did anyone else cringe at the moniker of "Quarter Quell" for every 25th iteration of the Games? Junior high level alliteration at best. I felt embarrassed for Donald Sutherland having to announce it.

GatorDeb

Finally saw it and really liked it and it really held my interest. The first movie was a long time ago but I don't remember being this excited about it. Love the facial expressions at the end.

Mr. Salty

No.
The first movie was only a year before this one.

"Catching Fire," I think, is a much better movie. The first one was OK if you had read the books, but it omitted too much for anyone who didn't. "Catching Fire" is much more complete, and has a stronger supporting cast.