Okay, so first things first, overall it was a really good movie. I thoroughly enjoyed every second spent watching it in the cinema. It was just that good. From the actors, to the costumes, to the scenes of the location where they were filming, in my opinion they were absolutely perfect. Kudos to the director of the film, Francis Lawrence, for doing such a great job with everything. I really liked how he imagined the games, the capitol, the districts, how the whole setting was. I preferred his vision of the games much more compared to the vision of the previous director. Suzanne Collins, the author of the book, did such a great job at writing the story and of course we shouldn't forget to credit her because without her, The Hunger Games wouldn't have existed in the first place.
The movie, Catching Fire, to me is much more kid friendly than the Hunger Games. There isn't as much blood and violence as there was in the first movie. As a person who didn't exactly read the books before I went to watch the Hunger Games, I was very shocked to see so much blood and violence. I only knew the gist of the whole story so I couldn't really picture what it would be like. But after watching The Hunger Games, I decided to try reading the story, and I instantly fell in love with it. So obviously, I would have already read Catching Fire before watching it and at least this time I knew what to expect. I was expecting a lot more violence and gore but it was surprisingly okay. Sure, there was still the killing happening, but it wasn't all that bad. There wasn't as much blood and I guess because of the setting which is basically a jungle right next to the beach, most of the tributes would instantly disappear into the water after they're killed. Well, that's what I felt happened in the movies. So it saves you the discomfort of having to see dead bodies lying around as they did in the first one (which was very unsightly).
The arena. It was beautiful. I wonder how they even got such a location to film. It was just absolutely beautiful. How it was supposed to look like a clock. And how they divided it into 12 different sectors. I can't say much about it except that it was the most incredible looking arena I have ever seen. And the cornucopia! It still isn't really a gold horn, but at least in this movie the cornucopia did resemble a horn (well, sorta. that's what I think anyway). And the added effect for the forcefield was just incredible. Like I didn't even expect it to look that good. I have to admit, the first time I saw the arena I was kind of judgemental about it considering that that was not how I imagined it in my head when reading it. But after a while, you just start enjoying the whole scenery and it was just spectacular. The arena was really a full circle and you could clearly see the dome.
The costumes! Undeniably one of the highlights of the film. The costumes used by the characters in this film was just so beautiful. I especially like the one that both Katniss and Peeta had to wear on the chariot (the flame effects were wonderful) and Katniss' wedding dress. If you watched the movie, and you say that you don't like the wedding dress, you are lying. I loved how it turned into the Mockingjay. The symbol that Katniss represented. It was very very nice. And the whole transformation process. Wow, just wow. I was just speechless and was blown away by the beauty of the dress. It was definitely a 10/10. It wasn't just the dresses, but I also loved the uniforms that were given to the tributes to be worn in the arena. Again, it wasn't exactly what I imagined when I read the book but what they produced were what was written in the book so they definitely did a great job.
Last but not least the actors and actresses and their characters. So in this film, more people are added into the Hunger Games family. It was so great to see all these characters come to life. Some of the new characters include, Finnick Odair, played by Sam Claflin, and also Johanna Mason, played by Jena Malone. There are also other characters like Wiress, Beetee and Mags. I like Mags. :3 Annie (the girl Finnick is in love with) is also in the film, but she was only there for a short while. The actors did such a great job with their characters. I loved the chemistry between Katniss and Peeta. They definitely convinced me that they were in love. (i'm a hard Everlark shipper. I have to admit that.) The scenes between Katniss and Peeta were just great, especially their intimate scenes like the one where Katniss screams after getting a nightmare and Peeta comes in to comfort her. Josh and Jennifer were just so good at it.
Another scene that I particularly liked was the one where Peeta gets electrocuted by the forcefield and his heart stops for a while but he was saved by Finnick after Finnick performed CPR on him and the look on Katniss face was just so incredible. She was shaking at the fear of losing Peeta and when Peeta comes back to life, she was just so relieved and it was just all there in the moment. I can't exactly articulate how it was like so that's the best I could do. I'm extremely sorry if that sounded like a blubbery mess. xD Also, Sam was such a great Finnick and Jena was such a great Johanna, I LOVED THEM! Sam captured that charming attitude that Finnick has, and Jena was just great at being the sassy person that Johanna is (check out the elevator scene and you'll know what I mean). Not to forget, Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) and Lenny Kravitz (Cinna, Katniss' stylist). They were all absolutely splendid. It definitely wouldn't be perfect without these people. After a while, you'll grow really fond of these characters, trust me.
So I guess that is pretty much all I can say right now about the movie. Overall, it is definitely one of the best films i've seen in my entire life. No doubt. I have high expectations for Mockingjay Part 1. I hope it will be just as great as this film. That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed my opinion of it, and remember that these are just opinions. Everyone are tied to their own opinions and if you thought of the movie differently then there is nothing wrong with that. If you have not watched the movie, I highly suggest you do so, because it's a great movie and i'm not just saying that cause i'm a fan of the books. Seriously, go watch it. So yup, thats it. Till here, cheerio.
ps. there will be no song of the week for this week but i'm leaving it with something much nicer than it. (: what I want you to do, is to just read it and enjoy this beautiful piece of literature.
"Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and loss children. But his arms are always there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what i need to survive is not Gale’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.
So after, when he whispers “You love me. Real or not real?”
I tell him, “Real." "
