How would you do
in a Hunger Games-style
situation?
This weekend I finally caught up with Catching Fire, the second film in the enormously popular Hunger Games series and–like a lot of people–thought it was the rare sequel that surpassed the original. Watching it I had several thoughts:
1) Jennifer Lawrence’s performance here was actually better than the one she gave in American Hustle and should have also netted her an Oscar nom.
2) Donald Sutherland has the chance of becoming one of the best villains of all time in his role as Panem’s evil ruler. If he isn’t recognized with an Oscar nom of his own (which would–remarkably–be his first) for his work in the final two films, then I think all of us Canadians would be right to take it as a national insult.
3) I would die so hard if I was ever entered in a bloody winner-takes-all tournament to the death.
And I can’t blame that last point on mere self-deprecation. I am wholly and completely unsuited for any form of combat. I know this based on the closest I’ve ever come to it–paintball.
There is no greater sign of what a terrible combatant you would be than when 15 seconds in to your very first mission, you feel a paintball explode right dead centre in the middle of your forehead.
Okay, now I loved the books… but the first movie felt a little like a synopsis of the YA novel – they wanted to include so many elements and details, that they ended up skimming over the heart of the story. Does the sequel sort of repair that damage? What are your thoughts?