Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Directors: Francis Lawrence
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lionsgate
DVD Release Date: March 7, 2014
Run Time: 146 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
When I saw “The Hunger Games”, I plain out hated it. No, I have never read the books and have no interest in doing so either. I thought the movie was completely bland and watered down of what it could have been. It was also during a time when I was not a huge fan of Jennifer Lawrence. Well, thanks to “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” that has changed and I have actually become a huge fan of Lawrence now. Unfortunately it only pains me more to say that this sequel could actually be worse the first film. Firstly, it is WAY too late at nearly two and half hours. Nothing happens for the first hour and then is so anti-climatic throughout the rest of the film that the cliffhanger ending just makes you slap your head in disgust.
Official Premise: Based on the best-selling second novel of Suzanne Collins’ award-winning trilogy, with a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael DeBruyn and directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as, against all odds, Katniss and her fellow tribute Peeta have returned home after surviving The Hunger Games. Winning means they must turn around, leaving their loved ones behind and embark on a “Victory Tour” through the districts. Along the way, Katniss senses a rebellion simmering – one that she and Peeta may have sparked. At the end of the Victory Tour, President Snow announces a deadly 75th Hunger Games that could change Panem forever.
Since this film was in such high demand (no idea why), we only were able to snag this on DVD. The DVD also comes with an HD Digital Ultraviolet copy. In terms of special features, the DVD once again gets the short end of the stick. There is an audio commentary track from director Francis Lawrence (not relation to Jennifer) and producer Nina Jacobson. No cast involved at all which is a shame since it could have added some life to this track. The only other real special feature are a few deleted scenes. Then there is a sneak peak of “Divergent”, which looks even worse than this film if that is possible. The Blu-ray release comes with a nine-part feature-length documentary called “Surviving the Game: Making Catching Fire”, so fans of the film should be sure not to miss that. I am sure I will still see “Mockingjay: Part 1 & 2” but I really hope they are a vast improvement on these first two.