Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Ahhhhhhh, the sequel. That thing that always promises more than it can give. That inevitable fall from grace that every film series must endure... and yet Hunger Games did not. I had been careful not to indulge too much in hearing other people's opinions of the film and allowed myself to craft an opinion of my own.

Also... I'm starting a campaign to get this song used as a theme in the next film: cue epic montage of the readying for revolution as Peeta looks all forlorn & forgotten in custody and Katniss tries tries to make sense of her feelings for him and Gale...give it a listen and tell your friends! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA9sQy7SFss

It is safe to say that I was captivated from the beginning. The world of Hunger Games has always caught my interest, what with the uprising waiting to happen, the unknown world of a population beyond the districts written on the map. It is a build upon the world of Battle Royale, in that it isn't just a twisted game, but a way of life...a horrific injustice of power and wealth inequality. We will the rebellion to rise, for the population to fight back and that is mainly down to the brilliance of the  imagination of Suzanne Collins. However, the visualisation is just as compelling.

Of course, like any other adaptation there are things missing but for someone like me who has not read the original novel, everything is new. There are of course the elements that exist in every film, the battle for love, the loss, the betrayal... but in the world of hunger games where everything is at stake, it becomes more than just a ploy for an audience's applause. I felt myself forgetting about the fact that they were actors onscreen, and the world was fictional. For the first time this year, I was drawn into the world fully and found myself there with them, rather than sitting comfortably in a cinema. For this reason, this is less a review, more an account of the film. I was drawn in by the greatness of the acting - although I feel that Finnick was among the weaker characters - and by the overall production of the film. Costume, make-up, cinematography, VFX, sound, musical score and casting all became a part of the world I felt a part of. I too felt the sting of injustice and all aspects of the production kept me with them throughout.

Katniss Everdeen, portrayed by the wonderfully honest acting ability of Jennifer Lawrence - is thrust once again into a game that will only end in death. She and Peeta have become too much of a symbol of defiance, they are the figureheads of the inevitable revolution of the people. On their tour of the districts, we see this hope grow in them, this belief that things can change. Particularly in the district of Roo, a previous victim of the games, where Katniss tells her

family, it was Roo that helped her survive and that she was taken too young. We see an old man, raise his hand in defiance against the regime that restricts them all and holds it high in the air - my first symbol of revolution. We watch as he is executed by soldiers of the regime as Katniss and Peeta scream to stop it. For this, they must be punished. Along with all of the other victors of previous Hunger Games, they are placed into a lottery to fight within the games again. Only this time - it will be harder. This time - it will be different. This time - the hope of the population rests on Katniss, the mocking jay who will see peace and justice return and this time - she is not alone. The other victors of the games are with her too.

What follows, is a myriad of symbols of hope, defiance, fight and strength. Just before Katniss enters the arena, she is forced to witness her costume designer, being beaten and punished for his 'Mocking Jay' symbol to the people whilst she can do nothing to stop it. Breaking her spirit before she even enters the arena, we then watch as she contains herself in mere seconds to the job at hand - survival.

All victors jump into the water, swimming towards the centre of the island to collect their weapons. Some die already in the frantic rush as they battle to climb out of the water rather than watch their own backs. We watch as Katniss is confronted with the decision to trust fellow competitor Finnick as Peeta is dragged below the water by another. In an overwrought few minutes, Katniss and co. gather there wits and run to the tree-line to hide.

Here they are faced with challenges of all kinds every hour. We watch as Peeta runs into a forcefield that we think kills him. As Finnick battles to resuscitate him we come round to the fact that he might actually be on the same side. Lawrence gives a wonderfully honest reaction to the loss of the only person she trusts, as she despairs, shouting, pleading with him not to die. As he draws breath, she grabs hold of him in an embrace she has never wanted so much from the man who loves her so dearly. 

They survive attacks from jabberjays carrying the words of the dead, poisoned fog, lack of water and fanged baboons as others on the island are met with a lighting blast, a tidal wave and blood rain. Katniss, Peeta and Finnick watch as Mags runs into the fog to allow them to carry on with their fight to survive and as the female morphling sacrifices herself for Peeta. 

They then then run into Beetee, Wiress and Johanna who join forces to defend Beetee and his plan to bring down the system. Wiress and her mutterings of the words 'tick-tock' leads them to discover that the entire island is on a clock, with a new threat every hour. They hatch a plan to hook up Beetee's wire to the tree and lead it to the water, electrifying it when the lighting strikes.

Through a battle with seeming mistrust, the team carry on to the tree as Katniss is forced to leave Peeta's side and she and Johanna are tasked with laying the wire directly to the water. Here, they are attacked as Johanna pretends to attack Katniss and leads the attackers away from her. As she runs back to the tree to find Peeta, she instead finds Beetee tied to his own coil as the storm clouds gather above them. She frantically shouts, fighting back tears, for Peeta to appear to her, but he does not come. It is here that she is forced to make the final decision. As Finnick runs into view, Katniss must battle against every fibre of her being telling her not to trust him, as he states 'remember who the real enemy is', the very words that her friend and advisor Haymitch used within his final utterings to her. She pauses. She then takes one look at Beetee, then to Finnick. She lowers her bow and draws breath. She ties the coil around her bow as Finnick screams at her not to. She waits, the storm clouds charge, the lighting strikes and with this... she points her bow to the skies and releases it - her arrow of defiance.

We watch the symbolic arrow fly towards the ceiling of the arena, that we have been made aware is flawed and as lighting strikes - the coil brings the charge right to the roof of the arena causing ultimate devastation of the system, blacking out all cameras and controls of the condiitons. Katniss falls to the ground, as the entire world seems to crumble around her.

We have a cast of extremely talented actors to portray a tale we could not visualise any better than the filmmakers allowed us to. It is a world where we will the underdogs to pull through and they definitely do so in style. As we watch Katniss being taken to Dsitrict 13 as she is told that they have Peeta in custody, we are faced with as much torment as an audience as Katniss herself as we ride the train to revolution.

I for one, cannot wait for the next installment. Who knows if she will finally conquer her feelings for Peeta? what will become of lifetime love Gale? What will become of the people? A year is just too long to wait!

Also... I'm starting a campaign to get this song used as a theme in the next film: cue epic montage of the readying for revolution as Peeta looks all forlorn & forgotten in custody and Katniss tries tries to make sense of her feelings for him and Gale...give it a listen and tell your friends! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA9sQy7SFss