Seems like an awful lot of water for a title like that...
Hunger Games is an interesting series. It's taken a lot of flack for appearing to be little more than a knockoff of a Japanese thriller, but regardless the books have garnered enough success to enlist the acting talents of the incomparable Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Josh Hutcherson. I have not written a formal review of the first Hunger Games movie, but personally I found it to be remarkably average. Nothing really stood out to me about this relatively faithful, plain-Jane adaptation of an interesting book series. I enjoyed the series myself, but the movie failed to deliver on the premise of the book, partially by its unwillingness to be bloody enough to make even the most weak-hearted of preteens cringe.
"Catching Fire" is a different story. It seemed to broach most of the conflicts of the book with the subtlety and tenderness of a freight train, showing the truly torrid love triangle of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale in a way that the first movie fell short of accomplishing. Katniss is recovering from the trauma of the Hunger Games in her home town when she is forced back into the spotlight with Peeta on their tour around Panem. Katniss, like every "victor" that survives the Games, has severe PTSD from the whole ordeal and finds comfort in sharing her struggle with Peeta. Katniss is also forced to continue her fake romance with Peeta in order to convince the country that her defiance of the Capital at the last Hunger Games was prompted by love rather than rebellion. All this makes her relationship with Gale strained to say the least.Despite their best efforts to convince the world that their love is real and the Capital is the rightful governing body, the country begins falling into rebellion. To stop the spread of Katniss' symbol of rebellion, President Snow has the surviving victors thrown back into the arena for the 75th Hunger Games.
I'm starting to become worried for Lawrence, as she seems to thrive in the role of emotionally damaged yet dangerous woman caught in bizarre relationships, as she has already shown in "Silver Linings Playbook." Lawrence has truly come into her own with Katniss, and every scene that doesn't involve the character's customary stony stare is a powerhouse of emotion. Woody Harrelson is fantastic as always in delivering on the comic relief that a story this depressing desperately needs. In addition to the acting, the visual effects of this film elevate it even further, though the classic orange/blue contrast is starting to become a little tired.
My only issue with this movie would have to be the same that I had with the new "Les Miserables" movie. My issue is that I do not understand the appeal of a close-up so close that I can look up the nostrils of an A-list Hollywood actress. Yes, Ms. Lawrence is quite beautiful, but I'm pretty sure that I would be able to distinguish her emotions from a distance of several feet instead of inches. Close-ups can be nice, but when the actor's entire head no longer fits on the screen it seems excessive. The film even ends on an extreme close-up and cuts to black, and I think it might have been a bit more intriguing had I not seen the same camera angles of the same actors a dozen times previously.
"Catching Fire" earns a See It for great acting, visual effects, and a story with twists and turns that will keep anyone who hasn't already read the books wondering what will happen next for the entire run time.
Until next time, what are your thoughts on the movie? I love to hear the opinions!
No comments:
Post a Comment