Review: Catching Fire (mostly for book readers)

I'm going to live-blog this event even though it's been approximately 108 hours since I saw the movie. All time stamps have been completely fabricated, but I tried very hard to get them close. If you haven't read the book, or don't want to be spoiled about film details, do not read. While I am a spoiler whore myself, if would truly sadden me to ruin it for any Catching Fire virgins out there.

-0:10 - A kid in the audience just proposed to his girlfriend using a cardboard sign and glow sticks. Cute. Or would be if I wasn't sitting with my ex about an hour after we had discussed thwarted wedding ideas of our own.

-0:09 - Oh thank God, he was just asking her to the Winter Formal. Still kind of awkward.

0:01 - Katniss is wearing a hideous, asymmetrical knit scarf that appears to be growing out of her coat. It's distracting me from the scene. And I say this as a die-hard lover of all scarves.

0:03 - Hey, it's Jack Quaid! You know, the first guy that Katniss killed? It's a flashback. And here I was worried Meg and Dennis' kid wasn't gonna get more work.

0:06 - My thigh is touching my ex's thigh. Is that weird? Maybe I should move it over. Now my inner thighs are strained. Must do more Pilates. Ooh, good kiss between Gale and Katniss.

0:07 - I like the look of the Victor's houses; generic and identical. But I wish we got a better angle of how alienated and isolated the Victor's are. In their own section of town, surrounded by all the empty houses of Victors never to come.

 

0:09 - Donald Sutherland is a great choice for President Snow but the book is so much better at conveying his sensory creepiness. The fact that his breath smells like blood is by far the most compelling thing about his villainy and the film is simply not getting that across.

0:11 - Peeta and Katniss are really cute and awkward in this scene before the cameras. It's making me root for Peeta here, which is a good sign for Josh Hutcherson: his chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence and his overall charisma have really improved.

0:15 - Gah, Rue! You were wonderful. And the Victory Tour in District 11 is pretty gut-wrenching. Except there is that one sister of Rue who is just giving me nothing. It's like she's playing that her Ipod isn't going to be delivered until after her birthday instead that her sister died. Boooo! Rue was the best.

0:18 - I love you, Woody Harrelson. You are truly a treasure as Haymitch. Keep giving Katniss hell.

0:23 - The costumers are having so much fun with Effie's wardrobe. How does she even see in that high-necked monstrosity? Poor Elizabeth Banks has to completely turn around just to see the other actors. But I love Katniss' eyeshadow and the fact that her gown has subtle feather detailing. I can't remember if that is in the book or not but as it is a Cinna creation, it's a pretty safe bet.

0:25 - Glad they included the bit about the liquid that makes you throw up. Revolting yet exacting detail from the book.

0:27 - I almost put my arm around my ex's shoulders and stroked his neck. Damn, I gotta watch myself.  I have to literally grab on to the opposite arm rest to keep my hand from wandering. It's just too familiar. My fingers are gripping the cup holder.

0:30 - I was very excited when Philip Seymour Hoffman was cast as Plutrach. He has a quiet authority and calm and these scenes with President Snow portray what a clever poker player the character had to be.

0:34 - The guy they got to play Commander Thread is a very familiar character actor. I can't place him right now but I hate him on sight.

0:36 - The whipping of Gale would be more effective if I hadn't just seen 12 Years a Slave and learned what a truly eviscerating whipping looks like.

0:43 - I feel sorry for anyone who was already spoiled on Katniss going back into the arena because this moment was such a gut-punch in the book. I remember wanting to crawl into the ground with Katniss. The anger was just so palpable. To be fair, Jennifer Lawrence plays it for all it's worth.

0:45 - Haymitch's assertion that Peeta is "more than you'll ever deserve" would carry more weight if the films could focus more on his character. I feel like Josh Hutcherson is capable of making Peeta that noble and tender, but it somehow just isn't coming through in the film's structure.

0:47 - Elizabeth Banks has so much more to play this time around. I think I like Effie even more in the films than in the books. Her eye contact with Katniss in this scene speaks volumes.

0:51 - While I'm glad for the footage of the other Reapings, they just look so budget and junior high AV club. This is a multi-million dollar franchise; the production value should extend to the 2nd unit work. But yay, I'd forgotten about the casting of Jeffery Wright as Beetee and Amanda Plummer as Wiress!

0:52 - Amanda Plummer is the daughter of Christopher Plummer; Captain Von Trapp spawned the delightful weirdness that is Honey Bunny. I'm so tickled.

0:55 - The smell of popcorn has finally settled down and all I can smell is my ex. I'd forgotten how much I missed that smell. I'm starting to feel like a creeper over here.

0:59 - First appearance of Sam Claflin as Finnick. Well, he certainly looks the part. But he was terrible in Snow White and the Huntsman - less charming than Kristin Stewart, if that's even possible! I'm going to reserve judgment for now.

1:02 - YES! I love these costumes! In the book it says they are supposed to look like coal embers - I'd say mission accomplished. And the CGI is much less distracting than it was for the Girl on Fire moment in the first film. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson look badass. And the way Katniss holds eye contact with President Snow the entire ride is pretty fantastic too.

1:05 - Dear me, Jena Malone is a perfect Johanna Mason (and their initials match - how darling, like it's MFEO). That striptease in the elevator is the most levity these films have ever had. So much sass and Jennifer Lawrence is practically falling over with those melodramatic eyerolls.

1:09 - Jennifer Lawrence finally gets to show off all that archery training she's done. Impressive simulation. Reminds me of Tron.

1:12 - Yay, Ceasar Flickman! Stanley Tucci's take on him is one of the most delightful things I've ever seen. That ridiculous, maniacal laugh, the faux sincerity, how he plays the pageantry to the audience. I wish these interviews were in real time so we could indulge in his every artificial maneuver.

1:14 - Johanna Mason tells the Capitol to Fuck Off and they bleep her! The moment I never knew I always wanted.

1:17 - That wedding dress is totes fugly. It does look like it belongs in the Capitol. But perhaps my favorite moment of the entire film is watching her twirl and become the Mockingjay - those magnificent wings and the wonder on her face. It's beautiful.

1:22 - And the Victors all hold hands in united defiance of the Capitol. Great moment in the book, great moment in the film.

1:25 - Accidental boob graze from my ex when reaching for the soda. Why are these seats so close together?

1:28 - Shit, Cinna's last scene is effective. Pretty much as brutal as I imagined. Great acting from Jennifer Lawrence here; completely unhinged and hysterical, slowly melding into radiant determination. And even if Lenny Kravitz isn't a great actor, he had a very solid and comforting presence.

1:31 - The arena is a pretty exact replica of what I had imagined. And they don't shy away from the violence here.

1:37 - Okay, Sam Claflin can stay. I wasn't completely sold on alluring tribute Finnick, but in-the-arena Finnick is awesome and gets it done.

1:42 - Jennifer Lawrence has been very solid overall, but I just don't get how she is balls-out amazing in some scenes (like crying over almost-dead Peeta) and then gives such flat line readings in others. Was the editor snoozing? To be fair those dead readings are mostly in scenes with Gale. I guess Liam Hemsworth just isn't an inspiring partner.

1:47 - Creepy, creepy mist. Great effects overall. I totally forgot it was poisonous. Damn, I really like Lynn Cohen as Mags. She was Miranda's housekeeper, Magda, on Sex and the City.

1:49 - The characters are immersing themselves in water to wash off the poisoned boils and the theater is bubbling with laughter every time one of them groans. I guess it does sound kind of orgasmic. Reminds me of watching The Rules of the Game in film class; everyone was in hysterics during the game hunting scene (don't ask me why, but once it starts it's infectious) and our TA's were horrified at the irreverence for such an important and solemn scene.

1:52 - We have arrived at the monkeys. They are baboons, which I was not expecting, and kind of silly, which I should have. But I can only imagine how difficult is is to create a horde of threatening monkeys on your computer. All those pink behinds...

1:57 - Finally Johanna Mason is back to curse at the heavens once more. I adore her. And she reminds me that we're not really aware of just how horrible the Victors have all had it. How much they have lost. Was this in the book? Or not until Mockingjay? My righteous anger is curious.

2:02 - The whole jabberjay existence was never really explained in the movies, but their execution here is unnerving. Horrifying reactions from Katniss and Finnick, and bless Peeta's little heart and he tries to be encouraging. I keep wondering if I would be as attuned to voices of my loved ones in this situation. I have never heard them scream - would they still sound familiar?

 

2:11 - I feel sorry for the actors playing Enobaria and Gloss and the other "Careers." They show up on the red carpets and smile and pose and then here they are with practically no screen time and nary a close up to help me remember them at all. Kind of a thankless job. Like that model hired to play "Heidi" in Twilight: New Moon. She is literally in two scenes with one line. But her casting was announced in the trades along with everyone else. What a letdown.

2:13 - In some of the wide shots the arena just doesn't look big enough. It's beautiful, but a little closed and fake. Maybe that was intended.

2:16 - Sweet, sweet romance between Peeta and Katniss on the beach. I think I'm officially rooting for them, finally. Magnificent lighting on the beach. Great kissing too - vastly superior to the first installment. My ex is side-eyeing me. Checking for signs of discomfort during these painfully heartfelt moments? Well, I may look pissed as hell, but it's a mask. My heart is breaking a little more every day.

2:20 - What is there to say about these final moments in the arena? That Katniss searching for Peeta is a tad poignant? That Johanna is still a badass? That Finnick is beautiful when he says "Remember who the real enemy is"? And that hopeful arrow aimed skyward...

2:23 - And then they tossed on an interminably long shot of Katniss in Christ-pose. A little heavy-handed I feel? You are not Willem Dafoe in Platoon.

2:25 - When Jennifer Lawrence calls Haymitch a liar she sounds exactly like her character in Silver Linings Playbook. Kind of threw me for a minute. I wish we could have seen Peeta one last time. I do not look forward to the shell of Peeta he will be once we meet again.

2:27 - And credits. Actually, according the IMDb running time, the credits should have started about 9 minutes ago. Damn.



Conclusions: A very faithful if somewhat unimaginative telling of the book. Sticklers for detail will be pleased with how closely this hews to the book, but there is not a lot of room for surprises or spontaneity, except in scenes with Johanna Mason or with Jennifer Lawrence reacting to Johanna Mason. But, great effects, brilliant casting, effective script, a little mirth and I'm not sure what else I should really be expecting. A smidgen more mood and mystery, perhaps. But I can't say I'm disappointed. Also, if you were a movie-going couple, do not go to a movie with your ex too soon. The close physical proximity is sadly distracting and every love reference in the movie will seem like a gavel pounded on your heart.