I thought that I would be a die-hard fan for only one fictional series of books. I scoffed at people who were into every popular fantasy- from swooning over Edward Cullen to dressing up like Bilbo Baggins at the Hobbit movie premiere. They were so cliché… so obsessed with impossible stories written by some talented, but usually mediocre authors who had good ideas but weak delivery when it came to the execution (I’m talking to you, Stephanie Meyer). And as for the movies, one can only take so many tacky special effects. Lets just say that when it came to Harry Potter, I was fiercely loyal.
However, everything changed when I gave in to the Hunger Games. I was glued to the couch, my eyes glazing over from sundown to sunset as I took in every word at what felt like a million miles per hour. I was hooked on a new series, something I thought would never happen again.
I was pleased by the first movie, but I think we can all agree (for those of you cool enough to read) that it was nothing compared to the book. Jennifer Lawrence, playing the main character, Katniss, did steal the show, and it was definitely easy to follow considering the complicated plot, but it wasn’t quite up to par. I was also forced to reflect on what exactly it was that I saw in this series when I witnessed the horrified look on my moms face as she watched children murder each other. That’s about when lost of my fascination with the Hunger Games. It was a great ride, but Harry was my first love.
According to Forbes magazine, “Catching Fire” beat the Thanksgiving box office record that was once held by “Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone” (2001). The film has managed to reel in $296.5 million overall in the United States. That being said, the movie is pretty darn popular.
Had my obsession with the Hunger Games lasted more than a few weeks, I definitely would have been ready at midnight to see the premiere. But I wasn’t even planning on seeing the movie, until my sister convinced me to go on Thanksgiving weekend. How predictable.
It exceeded my expectations. Never, in my entire life, have I seen a sequel that trumped the first movie. I was once again glued to my seat, this time my eyes glazing over from staring at the screen for two and a half hours. I was initially horrified by the amount of time I would be wasting sitting in a theater, but not once did I notice that my body was stuck in a crappy, padded chair as my mind was far elsewhere.
The movie followed the book almost exactly. And while most directors are tempted to portray the main character as a perfect hero, Francis Lawrence went out of his way to preserve Katniss’s image just as Suzanne Collins had created her. The fascinating quality about Katniss is that she does not want to be the hero. She has zero desire to save her country or serve as a leader of the rebellion. In this second film, Katniss is still stuck in this mindset, though she begins to realize how much power she has against the dictator-like President Snow, and how fragile his system is to keep the districts in line.
All of the audience members are able to sympathize with Katniss, a girl who only wants to protect her family, and lives in fear of her world crumbling down. She’s not trying to change the world or do something honorable, she recognizes that she is stuck in a terrible situation and does her best to make it through alive. We don’t feel separated from the main character; instead we see a little bit of ourselves in her.
The movie does a wonderful job of pleasing the true fans by following the novel, but it also is easy to understand for the first timers. Not once did my friend annoyingly poke me to ask a question, no longer did I have to re-explain the entire plot on the way home. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” has most definitely deserved its box office record.
If you’re looking to fill an empty afternoon, I think you know exactly which fantasy world to choose.
