Let the games begin.
On November 22, the breathtaking sequel to the teen epic “The Hunger Games” was finally released.
And when I say ‘breathtaking’, I do mean it in a literal sense.
“Catching Fire” was a seat-edger — the type of movie that kept you rocking back and forth the entire 146 minutes. Every second was jam-packed with nerve-wracking moments that kept the audience forever biting their lips.
The character development was heart-wrenching, the effects were astounding, and the acting was impeccable — who would have thought someone could ever feel anything but annoyance towards Effie?
The boiling performance of actress Jennifer Lawrence as the leader of the rebellion, Katniss Everdeen, is definitely more than noteworthy — because any fan couldn’t help but be immobilized by seeing the emotion of a character laid out so flawlessly before their eyes.
It was evident the moment Katniss truly fell in love with Peeta, out by the water as he held a dying tribute (at which point, a few fangirls fell in love with him as well). We watched her complete terror at hearing Primrose’s screams and cries in the arena. We got to see as her utter disgust for the capital melted into sadness, then horror, and finally anger — and all of this from only her facial expressions.
Anything that was missing or wrong with “The Hunger Games” was perfected here — even the sloppy and slightly nauseating camerawork of “The Hunger Games” was cleaned up in its sequel, much to my appreciation.
But the absolute best part of seeing “Catching Fire” was being given the ability to witness the perfection of the storyline, which followed the book basically step-by-step. Not a thing was added, and not a thing was missing.
The excellency of the film was evident in more than just fan appreciation, however.
The numbers show it all. On the first night alone, “Catching Fire” raked in a full $161,125,000, making it the fourth most successful opening for a movie ever, just below “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.”
A pot of money well-earned.
There’s no doubt viewers will be eager to see the sequel, “Mockingjay,” the moment it’s released — especially because of the well-placed cliffhanger that ended “Catching Fire” with a bang.
Deal out the Oscars, ladies and gents.