The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (DVD REVIEW)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Katniss Back
to Fight in Another Death Match
Despite only being introduced in
2008, The Hunger Games trilogy has so captured the collective imagination of
kids the world over that it has already eclipsed Harry Potter as the
best-selling children’s book series of all time. Suzanne
Collins’
post-apocalyptic adventure is set in Panem, a disturbing dystopia marked by the
brutal subjugation of the overwhelmingly-poor majority by the very powerful,
privileged few.
In the first installment, heroine
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) grudgingly
participated in a winner-take-all death match against other teens, each representing
his or her home district. Known as the Hunger Games, the annual competition is
staged as entertainment ostensibly designed to distract the masses from their
pitiful plight.
Wise beyond
her years, underdog Katniss emerged triumphant at the end of the first episode by virtue of a combination of
craftiness, compassion and her skills as an archer. However, she did break a
cardinal rule by sparing the life of her co-winner, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson),
her friend and male counterpart from District 12.
At the second installment’s point of
departure, we find the pair embarking on a government-sponsored victory tour
around the country. However, when their speeches stir up revolutionary fervor
in the crowds, a vindictive President Snow (Donald Sutherland) breaks a promise
by drafting them to take part in the Quarter Quell, a tournament of champions
comprised entirely of former Hunger Games winners.
So, it’s not long before they’re
back in training for another free-for-all, this time engaging elite opponents
blessed with gifts ranging from fang-like teeth to uncanny intuition to
chameleon-like camouflage to the ability to harness electricity. Each of the
entrants, known as tributes, is introduced by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley
Tucci), the festivities’ unctuous master of ceremonies.
Once the pomp and circumstance of
the decadent opening ritual are out of the way, the relatively-gruesome main
event begins. Allegiances are forged, and bargains are made, followed by
literal and figurative backstabbing in a desperate contest which ultimately
mandates a cruel betrayal of any loyalties.
For all its frenetic action, this
uneventful installment nevertheless suffers slightly from a classic case of
inbetweenie-itis, since it basically serves as a bridge to the trilogy’s presumably-exciting
conclusion. A water-treading sequel that achieves its goal of satiating the
fans’ bloodlust while whetting their appetite for the franchise’s grand finale.
Very Good
(3 stars)
PG-13 for profanity, intense violence, frightening images,
mature themes and a suggestive situation
Running time: 146
minutes
Distributor:
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: Deleted scenes; Surviving the
Game: Making Catching Fire; audio commentary with the director and producer; and
a sneak peek of Divergent.
To see a trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,
visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNDBJtGw3Pc
To order a copy of The
Hunger Games: Catching Fire Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, visit:
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