SPOILER ALERT!
I’ll admit, I got into “The Hunger Games” right before the first movie came out. I managed to read all three books prior to seeing the first movie, but I wasn’t a fan anxiously awaiting the release of the next book as by the time I got into them, all three books in the trilogy had been released. But nonetheless, I was just as anxious as every other fan awaiting the release of the first “Hunger Games” movie and “Catching Fire” is no exception.
The second film in the series starts off in District 12 where Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark reside. Katniss and her friend, sometimes boyfriend, Gale Hawthorne are in the woods, hunting before Katniss must go off on tour to visit the other Districts – one of the “perks” of winning the previous Hunger Games.
Just as the first, the second movie followed the book almost word for word – something bookworms like myself appriciate.
As a viewer and a reader, I enjoy the actual Hunger Games part the most. When I?read the books, I felt as if it took me forever to get to the part where the actual Huger Games began. The movie took what felt like minutes to get to the games themselves.
If there is one thing the film left out it would be the connection between Gale and Katniss. When reading the book, you get the sense that she is torn between the two men. In the movie, there’s a good chunk of time where you forget he even exists.
The film is remarkable. “Catching Fire” exceeded my expectations so much that I’ve come to the conclusion I like the second movie in the trilogy more than the first. The cinematography and special effects were used with such precision that it not only added to the film, it almost made you feel as if you were there (or wanted to be there) without being too in your face.
The only real downside to the entire movie was the end credits, in which Coldplay sang the movie to a close.
I can’t wait to see what “Mockingjay,” the next movie in “The Hunger Games” series, brings to the table.
To read staff writer Katrina Yarbrough’s book review on “Catching Fire,” check out TheNews.org.
Story by Savannah Sawyer, Features Editor