Sunday, November 24, 2013

YA/MG movie review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

From Fandango:

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever.

My thoughts:

It had been a while since I read the book, so some of the story came back to me as I watched the movie. There were only minor differences as far as I could tell... And I loved it! Great action, good archery stuff from Katniss--I forgot to be critical, to tell you the truth. I liked that Effie got a bit of depth in this one.

The ending was very much a to-be-continued. I wonder if the movie works for people who didn't see the first one, or have read the book(s). I'll be interested to hear what others think of it.

An aside:

This is one of those book series (and movie series, too) that works very well for both the YA and MG crowd. I can't put my finger on exactly why... Anyone have ideas?

5 comments:

  1. I liked it too. It is really about SOMETHING. The disparity between rich and poor. And KATNISS is an unwilling hero in many ways. She had none of the arrogance that comes with leading a revolution because it happens to her instead of her making it happen.

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  2. I think you nailed it: it's Katniss' unwilling hero status that makes the story so compelling...

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  3. Fleur, I usually tend not to read books or watch films that're hyped up. I don't know how well the film did in India but I think it ran less than two weeks in theatres, as most films do these days. I haven't read the Suzanne Collins trilogy (I think) either only because I'm limiting my books and ebooks to under 250 pages so I can get more books out of the way. Not the most convincing of reasons.

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  4. That's a short shelf-life for movies--wow.... Here, I think it got a little too much hype, as with most things anymore. But it was done well. The books are worth a read, if you ever get a chance.

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  5. I think it works for MG too because kids of all ages get into the believable "other world" aspect? Similar to Harry Potter in that you need a little imagination, but kids really can believe that these worlds could be real.

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