We had our Thursday planned to do a lot of things but a script deadline for our new TV5 show we decided to skip a TV5 press visit and stay home to do our script. Still, we rearranged our Thursday na makapanood pa rin ng opening ng “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and it sort of worked out for us dahil sa SM Molino na kami nag decide to watch which has a lot of advantages including the fact that it’s free seating arrangement so anytime we arrive we can enter.
Fortunately for us, exact ang pag-dating namin sa cinema 4, magsisimula pa lang and that while it’s almost all-seat taken na dahil nag-iisa ito sa SM Molina, we were able to get a seat naman.
Months after the 74th Hunger Games, settled na sa Victor’s village ang pamilya ni Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) at si Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) kasama ang first ever District 12 winner na si Haymitch (Woody Harrelson).
Katniss still has her mother (Paula Malcomson) and her sister Primrose (Willow Shields) although nag-iisa na lang si Peeta as his parents and siblings were killed in a recent fire/rebellion (dinaanan lang din ito sa libro so those who read the book will be the only one who knows kung nasaan ang bakery nina Peeta na big part ng The Hunger Games).
Meanwhile, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is not happy with what is happening sa ilang distrito dahil nagkakaroon ng rebellion and Katniss is their beacon of hope.
With a new game master na si Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the Capitol created a twist for the 75th Hunger Games also known as the 3rd Quarter Quell kung saan ang reaping will be taken sa victors ng bawat district and that means lalabang muli sina Katniss and Peeta alongside the other victors of the other district of the past years.
We actually do not like the book. While we love “Hunger Games”, we felt that “Catching Fire” is a repetition of the original story and its third part, “Mockingjay”, is a repetition of the repetition.
Games are set up at maglalaban-laban ang mga bida at kontrabida, walang level up na ginawa ang author na si Suzanne Collins unlike another female author JK Rowling na kada-book ng “Harry Potter”, may bago.
It is to the credit of the director Francis Lawrence that made “Catching Fire” way better than expected dahil pinuno niya ang movie not ng special effects but emotions, real ones.
“Catching Fire” almost made us cry several times dahil sa bigat ng emotion and though all scenes were in the book naman, dito lang kami naka-relate. Sa death ni Rue sa “The Hunger Games” lang kami naantig pero dito, sa reaping pa lang where Mags (Lyn Cohen) volunteering herself in replacement to Annie (Stef Dawson) sa District 4 para makasama ni Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) nagsisikip na ang dibdib namin.
In one scene of the book na homage sa Shelley Winters character sa Poseidon Adventure where an old female character sacrificed her life for the rest of the group, talagang naiyak na kami habang sumisigaw ang naiwan niya but we won’t tell who.
The ending too, although ganito talaga sa book at bitin na bitin for you to read book three, mas naging katanggap-tanggap at mas mukhang kaabang-abang.
Now we may be repeating but the biggest reason why “Hunger Games” succeeded and “Catching Fire” will also succeed is because of the three main stars of the movie, Oscar winner Jennifer, Josh and the younger Hemsworth na si Liam playing Gale
Hawthorne. These three know how to act and so they were able to carry the emotional part of the movie. This is something we cannot say to the trio of “Harry Potter” na sina Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson (although nag-improve na siya lately) and Rupert Grint and the “Twilight” trio of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
Jennifer carries the movie and will continue to carry the series with so much emotion and Josh will be with her. Kahit nga ang kapatid ni Thor (Chris Hemsworth) magaling umarte at walang Australian accent.
Even their support are so good, mga Oscar nominated actor like Stanley Tucci as Cesar Flickerman and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Hindi pinabayaan ng director ang special effects and action scenes at dito nga lang nakita at naintindihan ang poisonous fog. Sa libro, mahirap itong ma-visualize pero sa movie it’s so clear.
Hollywood is predicting that “Catching Fire” will be 2013’s biggest movie even beating “Iron Man 3” and we don’t doubt that.
The movie has the perfect combination of fan appeal, book reader loyalty, stalwart acting and spectacular effects so catch this one.