Courtesy of moviepostersdb.com
Let me start by saying I haven’t read one of Suzanne Collins’ books (or any book other than those so lovingly assigned by professors for the past four years), so I didn’t have the pleasure of being inherently disappointed by the movie adaptation of “Catching Fire.”
Unfortunately, the second of “The Hunger Games” trilogy didn’t quite live up to the Facebook hype that had deemed “Catching Fire” the “movie of a lifetime” and the “best movie ever made.”
Don’t get me wrong, the movie had its perks. Never was there a dull moment. Never was there a scene I felt it’d be the perfect timing to slip out for some more Sno-Caps and buttered-up popcorn.
Once again, America’s new obsession, Jennifer Lawrence, stole the show, and the movie set and makeup were unsurprisingly to-die-for, although I can’t stand Covergirl/Subway’s tacky Hunger Games promotions.
But there was some awkwardness I found unable to ignore.
First off, the Gale-Katniss-Peeta love triangle thing is never going to work for me. I get the pretending-to-be-in-love-so-you-don’t-die part of the equation, but I’d be just as happy if your girl would just kick somebody to the curb.
Secondly, I really couldn’t get past the fact that Alan Ritchson (who plays steroid-abusing man-baby Thad Castle on “Blue Mountain State”) was cast as victor Gloss in this flick. Thad will always be Thad, and casting him as a muscle-y murderer is just plain comedic.
The worst part about this movie is that it ends with the most unsatisfying cliffhanger imaginable. You’re hooked the entire time, and then suddenly you turn to the person next to you asking, “Wait, was that it?” Think of it as if you just spent roughly two and a half hours building the most epic sand castle that ever came to be — scratch that. Think of it as if you just spent roughly two and a half hours watching a movie that now you have to wait another year to get any true enjoyment out of.
Of course, patience is a virtue, and “Mockingjay” is slated to completely blow our minds in due time. But don’t get too excited about the finale just yet. This “trilogy” is going rogue, jumping on the part I/part II bandwagon popularized by “Harry Potter” and — dare I utter the word — “Twilight.”
So even though I thought “Catching Fire” was kind of a dud, you’ll still catch me at both “Mockingjay” movies on opening weekend. I have full faith that both movies will be truly “revolutionary.”
— Mara Joffe
mmjoffe@go.olemiss.edu
