CATCHING FIRE REVIEWED
“Catching Fire” works well enough as the second leg of a trilogy. Watching Katniss and Peeta evolve into symbols of rebellion is great, but is it enough for half of a movie. Hell, we’re at the one hour mark before the Quarter Quell begins in earnest. I love seeing kids and old people die in new and exciting ways. It’s just that so much of the material needs to be thrown down to get us into the chaos of “Mockingjay”. I see the fundamentals onscreen, but I don’t see any connective work done by the actors. It’s a shame that poor Phillip Seymour Hoffman had to try the narcotic sampler platter and croak. He was about the only new actor that had sense of timing.
Jennifer Lawrence has made Katniss into something that rises above the material on paper. She turns Katniss into a rallying point for a people, but she feels like she’s having to dig into the script to find something to draw forth. I get that she gives this movie a pass, while actively wanting out of the X-Men movies. Those X-Flicks can go on forever, but “The Hunger Games” has a finite point. Hopefully, “Mockingjay” being split into two parts will help that push out. But, I might be assuming too much.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Commentary
- Documentary
- Deleted Scenes
A/V STATS
- 2.40:1 2160p transfer
- Dolby Atmos / DTS-HD 7.1 master audio track