Hunger Games: Catching Fire // Review
Cue more fight or flight teenage quandaries and Jennifer Lawrence bringing sexy back to water proof anoraks.
It’s time for more starvation related kick-assery as the Hunger Games – Catching Fire is on the menu this month, and as the name would suggest, things are heating up for Katniss and the gang. Much like X Factor, the result of the last games left some people – namely the Prez (Sutherland) – with a bad taste in their mouths, so he serves up more trouble by sticking the past survivors back into the next games – oh no! Cue more wafer-thin alliances, fight or flight teenage quandaries and Jennifer Lawrence bringing sexy back to water proof anoraks.
I actually quite liked the first film. I’ll admit, it’s a bit like junior Battle Royale, but it is aimed at that precarious teen audience, and kids like Happy Meals, right? Sure it’s a not-so-thinly-spread allegory for the evils of capitalism, dangers of putting the self before the group, strength in the common man, etc, and so the message may seem a little heavy handed and naive to older viewers. I mean, if it were as oat-so-simple as that, North Korea would be one big picnic - albeit one with poodle sandwiches.
The reason I’m expecting this one to have a bit more meat in it is that if you look at the trilogy like a meal, then this is the main course (see Empire Strikes Back for details). If they’ve followed the recipe correctly, then it should contain complicating action, a twist/surprise or two, loss of someone unexpected and an unresolved feeling of suspense at the end – mmm.
As always the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so you will have to go see it to find out if they’ve made the soup-de-jour, or a re-hashed mess. You could even make it your midnight feast, as Odeon premiere their 12:31am showing on Nov 21st. I think you should be safe this time – let’s just hope it’s not Ewok crumble next for dessert!
Smiley
