Catching Fire Movie Review

Movie Title: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Book the Movie is Based on: Catching Fire - by Suzanne Collins
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Jenna Malone, etc.

Summary (from the goodreads summary page): "Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying."

My Thoughts: I cannot think of a better book to movie adaptation that has ever graced my eye holes.  Since seeing the movie when it first aired near the end of November, I have failed miserably at thinking of a single one. This movie was practically flawless. I was enthralled by the story from beginning to end with no lag time in the middle. It completely held my attention and truly took me on a cinematic journey from start to finish, which is a true accomplishment, I think.

First off the cinematography was just beautiful, the acting was captivating, and nothing was cut from the story that didn't need to be cut. So much of the dialogue was nearly word-for-word from the book as if the scenes were ripped from the pages. And Jenna Malone as Johanna Mason was pure genius.  I mean when I first read Catching Fire, I thought of Johanna as important, but she wasn't my favorite. Now after seeing this movie she has reached my top five favorite characters of the Hunger Games trilogy, which is a hard title to come by what with Suzanne Collins writing so many incredible characters in her novels.

In addition to Johanna Mason's character, I cannot get over how wonderful Sam Claflin is as Finnick Odair. He embodied the character that the Capitol knows and the character development that the audience gets to see later on.  Not only that, but he embodied this subtly that I can't quite put a finger on all while winning over the viewers and the citizens of the Capitol with his beaming charm.

And let's not forget how powerful Jennifer Lawrence's performance as our protagonist, Katniss, was.  I still get chills whenever I think about the end scene of the movie. Heck, I still get chills thinking about all of Jennifer Lawrence's scenes from this movie.

I loved the first installment of the Hunger Games movie franchise, but I have to say that this one stepped the game up.  Everything was done up just a notch more and this whole world and the situations were expanded so much more. I'm in awe of how well done this movie was and I along with so many other fans will be waiting with bated breath until Francis Lawrence next installment in the movie franchise is released this coming November, the movie adaptation of Mockingjay. So yes, now I have the date of the DVD release for this movie marked on my calender and I plan on watching it on a loop once that day comes. Who's with me!?
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars