Blog Post: Catching Fire

Sooo....I braved the icy roads last night to watch Catching Fire at the local theater.  Overall impression?  It was good.  Really good.  I'm going to keep this movie review short and simple.  MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

What I liked:

Katniss' dress for the chariot parade!  I hated her costume in the first movie...I thought the fire was awkward, the material was too shiny...bleh.  Her dress for the Quarter Quell was 100x better...She actually was on fire! I couldn't find a good picture online, but this give you a good idea of it:

Also, I loved her wedding/mockingjay dress Cinna made for her.  While reading the book, I couldn't quite picture how Cinna would turn Katniss into a mockinjay, so the movie really brought that aspect to life.

Before:

After:

Johanna and Finnick really brought character diversity to Catching Fire as well.  Johanna particuarly cracked me up with her cruel humor (yes, she really does strip in the elevator with Haymitch, Peeta and Katniss in it...Katniss' horrified expression was priceless)

Highlights of the movie:

"This is the library, all mahogany."  --Effie Trincket while giving Katniss and Peeta a quick tour

"Thank YOU." --Haymitch to Johanna in the elevator (said with a raised eyebrow)

"What's your favorite color?" "You just crossed the line."--Peeta trying to know Katniss better in the train

Katniss' awkward/defiant curtsy to the gamemakers after she makes a dummy resembling Selena Crane and hangs it....kind of like the curtsy she did in the first movie.

I loved a new character added in Catching Fire that wasn't in the book: President Snow's granddaughter.  I think she really emphasizes the impact Katniss is having on Panem.  Bravo, movie director!

What I didn't Like:

Katniss' lack of individualism in the movie. I felt like she was mostly just going with the flow until someone gets hurt and then all she really does is scream...where's the old tough-as-nails Katniss?

How it seems like Katniss is constantly getting rescued or Peeta is constantly getting rescue

Final thoughts:

A very good movie over all.  Sticks to the book 90% of the time (yeah, they did leave out some parts, but nothing major.)  Definitely worth the drive for me and plan on rewatching it again sometime.