Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Cast of Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I am biased. Way biased.

No young adult fantasy could be as good as Harry Potter. Flawed as some characters may be in Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, the distinguishing factor of this series compared to, let's say Twilight, is the tight storytelling. The best thing about this movie is that it does not stray far from the book, so instead of confusing the audience, it actually serves as companion material to the book. Say for example,  I honestly appreciated seeing the film's idea of how the Dome looks like. I have to say it's even better than my own imagination's rendering of the Arena. Very few book-to-movie rendition can claim this, but the Catching Fire movie actually helps deepen the mythos of the book instead of distract from it.

I also have to say that half of the reason why I loved the film was because of the heroine. Some people say Katniss Everdeen breaks the mold of modern heroines everywhere, but I disagree. Katniss' attitude of resilience and selective empathy is exactly the formula for the anti-social heroine. However, just like Hermione Granger's neuroticism, Katniss' consitution is a far better formula compared to the passive-agressive Bella Swan.

The other half of the reason for praising the film is Jennifer Lawrence's acting. My goodness, did you see the range of emotions that passed through her face in the last scene of the film? 15 seconds of the camera focused on her face captured despair, regret, anger, helplessness, hatred and finally, conviction. 15 seconds would probably be better spent watching ants crawl, than use it to show Kristen Stewart attempt to have ANY emotion on her face.


So, just saying that, you may not be a fan of young adult fantasy, but this is the better YA Fantasy. If Twilight left a bad taste in your mouth, then this movie will restore your faith in humanity.


Comments

  1. Anonymous9:37 AM

    I totally agree with your views... Except I won't even try to spend time watching Twilight.hehehe. Loved the books and still loved the movies. Can't wait for the last 2 installs.

    - Marcelle

    ReplyDelete

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