I didn't care for the first one but kinda dug this one...

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2014)

When the first film came out, I wouldn't say I was pushing over my own mother to get to the theater and see it. I'll be honest, I had no interest in the film but I will give every movie a shot, so when I had the opportunity came to see it(read that as when I get to see it for really cheap or for free), I gave it a chance and wasn't really wowed by it. The story really didn't interest me, the characters weren't really ones I found too captivating and there wasn't much development going on where I could see it being a franchise I would be a fan of—However, I did love the character of Haymitch Abernathy and Woody Harrelson's performance of him. My lack of interest in the film ended up raising the blood pressure of some people I know and even caused a dude to flip out on me and call me a snob. All because when he asked me if I like "The Hunger Games," I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Not really but Woody Harrelson's character is cool."
When "Catching Fire" hit the theaters,family, friends, coworkers, the drug addict that sits outside my apartment and the guy I pay to randomly attack me so I stay on my toes told me that since I wasn't a fan of the first one I would do a complete turn around if I watched "Catching Fire" because it was just that good. Add to the fact my girlfriend really likes the books and wanted to see the movie, I gave it a chance and I have to say; They were right.
I'm not going to say that I'm now a huge fan of the franchise but I did dig this one more than the previous one. The story was far more interesting to me and the tension and drama that was built upon the first outing easily grabbed me. The new characters that were introduced (like Plutarch Heavensbee, Johanna and Finnick Odair) were very interesting and played by just fantastic actors (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone and Sam Clafin respectively). Finally, the movie ends on a great cliffhanger that just gets the heart pumping for the next adventure.
Granted, the film still had its issues for me that kept me from really jumping full bore on the "Hunger Games" bandwagon (right now, I would say I'm just holding on to the side and seeing where the road goes). For example, the action still isn't that exciting (but a little more thrilling than the last one), a lot of characters are underdeveloped and just here to raise the body count in the games (and most of the deaths occur off-screen and that is disappointing in and of itself), Josh Hutcherson is still a very underwhelming actor and, because of it, I can't quite figure out if his character is suppose to be a likable one or not (not to mention, he kinda comes off as a tad incompetent) and, I know people are going to hate me for this, but some of Jennifer Lawrence's performance was hard to deal with as she laid on the hammy acting way too thick.
However, these issues aside, I still enjoyed myself watching "Catching Fire." While I still wasn't completely wowed, I did find a film that was just entertaining to watch that my interest is definitely piqued when it concerns the next film.
Hi! My name is Rev. Ron and I love movies! So much so that I write a blog where I review whatever film I am currently watching (Old or new!). You can read a more in-depth review of this film (and others) at revronmovies.blogspot.com.