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First reviews hit for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
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EsotericManiac
Member
I heard the second book is the best one
but i wasn't impressed with the first movie. i'm sure ill see this eventually
but i wasn't impressed with the first movie. i'm sure ill see this eventually
poopninjamvc3mk
I sucked six dicks to get this tag.
watch battle royale
The second one is at least as good as the first. Personally I liked the first the most, but that's just me.
I'm not worried about the quality of the second movie. I'm worried about the NEXT one.
Ohhhhh god mockingjay oh god oh fuck oh god
EightBitNate
Member
I've heard on several occasions it's 2>1>3. Only read the first one and half the second, so I hope they fix any problems with the third.
Wow, I agree with this 100%.
RastaMentality
Banned
93% and Certified Fresh.
Consensus: Smart, smoothly directed, and enriched with a deeper exploration of the franchise's thought-provoking themes, Catching Fire proves a thoroughly compelling second installment in the Hunger Games series.
Consensus: Smart, smoothly directed, and enriched with a deeper exploration of the franchise's thought-provoking themes, Catching Fire proves a thoroughly compelling second installment in the Hunger Games series.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Seeing it tomorrow night with the girlfriend. Here's hoping it's a big improvement over the first.
The Hunger Games book is bleh. The writing is shallow and the characters aren't worth it. Katniss and Peeta are just genderswapped versions of generic angsty hero and generic supporting love interest. The only other thing that stood out to me was how fucking terrifying the wasps were. Holy shit, those were some scary wasps. The movie doesn't do them justice at all.
The movie is just okay. It helps that the guy organizing the games (he wasn't in the book) was kinda interesting. I liked his crazy beard and the scene where he walks into a room to just find a bowl of those poisonous berries.
I guess I'll see this film... Nah, I just play Monster Hunter instead.
The movie is just okay. It helps that the guy organizing the games (he wasn't in the book) was kinda interesting. I liked his crazy beard and the scene where he walks into a room to just find a bowl of those poisonous berries.
I guess I'll see this film... Nah, I just play Monster Hunter instead.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
I'm hoping the decision to split Mockingjay is due less to making more money (Because of course that's the MAIN reason) and more due to getting some good writers to pull the thing apart and figure out how to make it legitimately satisfying.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
Sounds good to me. Is it on Blu-Ray yet? 
TDLink
Member
Saw this at an advanced screening a few hours ago. Much better than the first in my opinion. I haven't read the books but I am very interested in where this story is going now. Unfortunately everyone says the third book is bad so I really hope the movies don't disappoint. It'd be disappointing if they screw up the story because this movie was the perfect setup for something even greater.
I just came back from this. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first, I think it's better in every facet. Kinda feels like The Empire Strikes Back in some ways, and I'm looking forward to the third movie. I liked the casting in this, and the relationships between the tributes. Nice surprise to see Narcisse from Boardwalk Empire there. Surprisingly good stuff.
Cpt.Underpants
Member
Gonna watch this today (UK)
Am hyped
Am hyped
Just saw a movie. I liked the first one, but this one was meh. Too much cringeworthy dialogue for the most part of the movie, action is super lame and almost non-existent. Lots of plot lines and cool stuff from the book isn't there. It shot alright, but everything else is meh.
pauljeremiah
Gold Member
Saw it last night, I enjoyed it, it does have its flaws, but overall I prefer it to the original.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Nah, it's snarky bullshit for the sake of a cheap punchline.
Those people are stupid.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Wife and I are going to see it tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited to see if it feels less disconnected than the first. The first almost felt a bit like a fan film.
I would say the second is definitely better than the first. The third feels VERY different from the first two (in a good way).
I would say the second is definitely better than the first. The third feels VERY different from the first two (in a good way).
Matt_
World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
Feel free to make one. Nobody has claimed an ot for the film either way
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
It's very rare that I get to participate in a book readers thread for movies. As shameful as some might think, the Hunger Games books were the first books I'd actually sat down and read in decades.
blame space
Banned
I just watched the first one on Netflix maybe I can find someone to go see this one with.
Admiral Bone to Pick
Banned
At the risk of making one myself, that actually describes a lot of the posts on GAF these days.
Well thats good, because Battle Royal was terrible.
Not at all. The Hunger Games is kind of like a teen fiction version of Battle Royale (almost exactly the same basic premise), but is pretty intelligently told, has a decent plot with solid themes, and has pretty good characters.
Twilight has none of those things. It has no similarities with Hunger Games besides the fact that they both have romantic elements.
Mind you, I thought the third book in the Hunger Games was what-the-fucking-fuck awful, but the first two books are definitely decent stories that are worth reading.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
The thing I could never get past with the first one is how stupidly written the evil characters are to the point where they're being evil just because. And I don't just mean the snarky kids who enjoy killing and take pleasure in hunting Katniss etc with moustache-twirling vigor.
Even the Capital (Capitol?). These rich city-dwellers do this Hunger Games bullshit where they almost certainly kills two tributes from every poor, starving District, to remind them not to revolt. Mind you, it's shown that most people in the District are living lives that make them wish they'd never been born - hence Katniss bringing up that she'll never have children in this shithole of a world.
Oh. And the Capital also possesses the technology to make dogs and shit out of thin air. DOGS. MEAT. While every other district is starving and lucky to get a squirrel to share for dinner, these motherfuckers press a button and get free meat.
So yeah, the Capital reminds the other districts not to revolt by highlighting they have every fucking reason in the world to revolt.
Maybe I'm wrong on some of these details. It's been a while since I saw the first film. But anyway, it just seemed to be a really poorly written sci-fi world that doesn't seem the least bit practical.
Even the Capital (Capitol?). These rich city-dwellers do this Hunger Games bullshit where they almost certainly kills two tributes from every poor, starving District, to remind them not to revolt. Mind you, it's shown that most people in the District are living lives that make them wish they'd never been born - hence Katniss bringing up that she'll never have children in this shithole of a world.
Oh. And the Capital also possesses the technology to make dogs and shit out of thin air. DOGS. MEAT. While every other district is starving and lucky to get a squirrel to share for dinner, these motherfuckers press a button and get free meat.
So yeah, the Capital reminds the other districts not to revolt by highlighting they have every fucking reason in the world to revolt.
Maybe I'm wrong on some of these details. It's been a while since I saw the first film. But anyway, it just seemed to be a really poorly written sci-fi world that doesn't seem the least bit practical.
Just saw this movie at an early showing. It was pretty boring.
I love the books but I always knew there is not that much in the second book that will translate well to the screen. Most of the movie is very boring and slow without most of character development stuff from the book. And just when it gets interesting it ABRUPTLY ends. It was like walking out halfway between a movie.
everyone in the theater did not like it at all. One guy said work was less boring. A few people actually dozed off in parts. Of course there were no teens but like older people.
I still liked it cause I'm a big fan of the books but this movie is just there to bridge the gap. The next one should be great.
I love the books but I always knew there is not that much in the second book that will translate well to the screen. Most of the movie is very boring and slow without most of character development stuff from the book. And just when it gets interesting it ABRUPTLY ends. It was like walking out halfway between a movie.
everyone in the theater did not like it at all. One guy said work was less boring. A few people actually dozed off in parts. Of course there were no teens but like older people.
I still liked it cause I'm a big fan of the books but this movie is just there to bridge the gap. The next one should be great.
I'm usually really open to Japanese movies and I expected great things from Battle Royale. It really was terrible.
titusandronicus
Member
Non book reader here, enjoyed this more than the 2nd film. It's better as there isn't as much long winded setting up involved. Some of the special effects were pretty good and the supporting characters were interesting. When Jennifer Lawrence
, I was like damn, she is really going for it. Phillip Hoffman was a nice surprise, I had no idea.
cries after thinking Peeta is dead
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
It was much improved over the first film. For a blockbuster these days, the character writing and world-building was much smarter. The pacing does flag around the third act where it feels like they're treading water, but I enjoyed the film for the most part.
Matt_
World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
I'm seeing it today so I don't know how well the film conveyed it, but the whole world DOES revolve around Katniss and they have legitimate reasons for it.
Potential spoilers because I don't know whats in the film yet
By openly defying the capitol by doing the berries, and the flower thing for rue, Katniss became a figurehead for rebellion and hope. The 75th hunger games was designed to wipe her out because the Capitol knew how much of a threat someone like that could be to their regime.
Peeta wanted to keep her alive because he loved her, but Haymitch and the other winners need to keep her alive because without a rebellion having a figurehead it would collapse, and people in the districts had already formed an attachment to her.
Peeta wanted to keep her alive because he loved her, but Haymitch and the other winners need to keep her alive because without a rebellion having a figurehead it would collapse, and people in the districts had already formed an attachment to her.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
Exactly. Unlike Twilight where whatsherface is so
self-centered she believes she is the center of the world and everyone should care about her only, Katniss actually is the most important person in their world. If you didn't like it because of this, then you totally missed the point of the movies and books. She's basically Harry Potter... in a way.. kind of. Hating the HG trilogy for that reason is like hating HP for the same.
demosthenes
Member
Every other district aren't starving though. They brought this up in the movie as well. They don't go into the detail like they did in the books but I'm fairly sure 1-6 are well off. District 1-3 are the ones that prepare the trained tributes, aka they've won the most in 75 years and have been having the most wealth given to them because of this.
During the Orlando-(Tiny)Gaf meetup, we watched Battle Royale. We laughed our asses off throughout the entire film.
I loved the Battle Royale manga, and I plan to read the book soon, but that movie was garbage.
Going to see Catching Fire in a few minutes. Quite excited to see it too.
Saw this last night--everyone agreed it was a huge step up from the first one; the non-book-reader I was with said she thought this one did a better job of not feeling like it was missing information than the first. The end of the movie is about as abrupt and initially confusing as it is in the book and did prompt a 'That's it?' reaction.
I also don't think this movie did any favors to the casting decisions for Peeta and Gale. They're not bad, but neither actor is making their character particularly compelling, which makes it even harder to take the love triangle seriously. Doesn't hurt this movie all that much, though.
The movie was missing some things I was expecting, but managed to use Effie surprisingly well to portray
BR1> HG1 in my opinion, but HG1+2 > BR1+2. No idea what 3 and 4 are going to turn out like.
I also don't think this movie did any favors to the casting decisions for Peeta and Gale. They're not bad, but neither actor is making their character particularly compelling, which makes it even harder to take the love triangle seriously. Doesn't hurt this movie all that much, though.
The movie was missing some things I was expecting, but managed to use Effie surprisingly well to portray
the general outrage of Capitol citizens over the victors having to go back in; it's not quite as effective as the book scene where Katniss' prep team has to leave during her final makeup session because they can't stop crying, but it still manages to get the sentiment across which was nice.
BR1> HG1 in my opinion, but HG1+2 > BR1+2. No idea what 3 and 4 are going to turn out like.
No I get it. Katiniss was smart and defiant in the first movie. It made perfect sense that she set a spark. In this movie she is dumb weak, and using everyone to make her feel better. My God could they hit you over the head with the power of hope more.
FlashbladeGAF
Member
she has PTSD
give her a break, she didnt realize what she ignited in the people. She just wanted to keep her loved ones safe. Only until she realized that it was futile was when she decided to fight back.
Scarecrow
Member
That's been my problem with the final two books. Katniss is a feather brained airhead.
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