My grandmother took me to see “Catching Fire” the day after Thanksgiving. I had recently watched the first Hunger Games movie, which I enjoyed but did not have that “wow” factor for me. “Catching Fire” greatly exceeded my expectations in both staying true to the book, as well as having outstanding acting and cinematography. Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) has several scenes where she has to show deep emotion, and several times I found myself crying along with her.
If you like the kind of movie that stays true to the book that it is based off of, this movie will not disappoint. There was nothing added to the storyline that was not in the book, and some of the same lines from the book were used in the dialog. The only thing of importance the movie failed to portray was when Katniss and Gale saw the Avoxes in the forest.
Content-wise, there were 2-3 instances of s***, and Joanna drops the f-bomb twice during her interview, but is bleeped out for the audience’s benefit. She also claims that she was “screwed.” I can’t remember for sure but I think there may have been scattered d**n and h*ll words, but not an overwhelming amount compared to many other PG-13 movies. There is one awkward scene where Joanna completely strips down in an elevator, however, only her neck up and her back are actually shown; there is no real nudity. During the same scene Joanna makes a comment to Peeta about how a lot of people want to “lie around” with him.
The violence is moderate to heavy, however it is mostly bloodless and “necessary” for the plot. The movie does not in any way glorify the violence, and it was considerably less than the first movie (in my opinion). There is one scene in the games where three bedraggled-looking people emerge from the forest covered in blood (from the blood rain), so if you are queasy about the sight of blood that might be disturbing. Katniss refers to the violence of the Games in a negative manner and often has nightmares of her time in the arena. Because of this she has Peeta sleep with her (not in a sexual way).
All in all, this may have been the best movie I have ever seen, and I highly recommend it for teenagers and adults alike. Just keep in mind there are some scenes that could be disturbing to children, so I would be cautious if you are a parent taking your kid to see it. Keep in mind this is not a family movie and was not made to entertain young children.
~ Nicole
