Adventures of a High School Senior: Why Catching Fire was Awesome

“The Hunger Games” has struck again with Catching Fire, the second installment of four films. It follows Katniss Everdeen, victor of the 74th Hunger Games, as she is thrown into the arena for a second time and sparks a revolution as a result. Being a lover of the books, I went to the premiere of “Catching Fire” and I absolutely loved it. Here’s why:

1. A lesson for many other film adaptations of books: if you follow the book, your fans will be happy. “Catching Fire” stuck to the book as much as it could, being a two and a half hour movie. Understandably a few things had to change, minor characters were taken out, and a slightly different plot structure was put in. Regardless, the Hunger Games’ new director Francis Lawrence had his work cut out for him with one of the largest movie franchises of today, and he nailed it. Fans that have read the book should be prepared to enjoy every minute of this movie.

2. Bad actors can ruin a movie. Luckily, there were none of those in “Catching Fire”. In fact I think the casting might have been close to immaculate. Along with Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Josh Hutcherson, Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, we have gained a few new main characters — Jena Malone as Johanna Mason and Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair. They both play very confident characters, and own that characteristic well. Both embodied their characters exactly as described in the books.

3. A good wardrobe is very important to create the atmosphere of a movie. And, if you’ve ever seen “The Hunger Games,” you know that the Capitol have the best outfits in the film. There was no shortage of ridiculous costumes, especially for returning character Effie Trinket, who wears an outfit made of butterflies in one scene. Another challenge for the costume makers was the suit for the arena. The Hunger Games arena in “Catching Fire” is in a tropical setting, with an ocean and extreme temperatures. They managed to create a futuristic look and allow free movement in the water and climbing trees. It makes the film look more realistic

The movie was incredible and satisfying for a fan who has read the books or just follows the films. The actors and costumes were cast and done perfectly to make a viewer feel like you’re in the Capitol. I will definitely be seeing it again.