Happiest Place on Earth

Happiest Place on Earth

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Catching Fire, Pre-review...



I'm trying, pretty desperately, to be concise.

For anyone who hasn't read my previous posts regarding The Hunger Games franchise, you might want to follow the links below to find out how this entertainment "purist" got mixed up in this whole thing, to begin with (spoiler alert):

 
But here's the thing.  At this point, I know that I am getting ready to subject myself to 2 hours and 26 minutes outside of my ordinary, entertainment based standards.  And the number one reason for this is that I have committed to following this theatrical story to its end and to offering what I hope to be a well rounded review of what's good, what's bad, and what's teachable.  

From things that I have picked up here and there, I am already a little more than concerned about how well this movie will follow the heart of the story.  I am also pretty sure that Catching Fire is going to push the moral standard even more than its predecessor, and I'm not too happy about that.  We'll see...
From a purely storyline point of view, here's what I'm looking for tonight:

Is the relationship between Katniss and Peeta more fully developed in this installment?  I am concerned about some things I have read about the "manning up" of Peeta, and I am having a difficult time determining how Katniss will come to trust the other victors if they're not bending over backwards to protect him. 

I'm still holding out for some explanation of the Mockingjay Pin and its origins.  At the very least, I would like to see a scene from Haymitch's games where Maysilee is wearing the pin as her district token... or something.  I don't think we're going to get a flashback, though, because I have yet to see anyone cast as a young Haymitch...  Again, I lament the thought that no room has been left for a prequel...     

I think that what they do with District 11 on the victory tour is essential to the story.  

Beyond that, I think I'll wait to pick it all apart until I've actually seen it. 

What I will say is this.  Having watched all three trailers, I am going to admit that I was riveted.  I'm not sure how many times I replayed them, but it borders on embarrassing.  Let's hope those scenes aren't the only things worth watching.

L.   

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