A flawless depiction of the book, absolutely incredible

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2013)

I just... I can't. I have no words. Francis Lawrence, I applaud you
Lol I lied; of course I have words, let's do this!
Since 2008, The Hunger Games trilogy has stuck with me. It is, and will always be, one of my absolute favourites. So of course, when the first movie came out, it was with sheer disappointment and fury that I down- right hated how it turned out.
With this is mind, I tried to go into Catching Fire with minimal expectations (obviously this was difficult, after being swooned by the freaking amazing trailers). And then... Something amazing happened. As I sat there, watching things unfold, I quickly started to realise something.
The entire movie, down to every last line and scene, was a direct reflection of what Suzanne Collins depicted in the book. I kid you not, I'm not over exaggerating here. There were literally giant chunks of text, word for word from the book, transformed visually onto the screen. After a while, I completely lost count of how many there were.
And it's not just that Suzanne Collin's exact words were used in the script, but the entire feeling I got whilst reading the scene was replicated entirely on the big screen. The feeling, atmosphere and setting of every single scene was actually created exactly the way I'd pictured it in my head.
As a reader, I can honestly say that I have never, ever seen such a flawless book-to-movie adaptation before. Ever. This movie was so true to the book, it was freaking insane.
In the first movie, I really felt like the script had let the actors down a lot. They had what it took to portray the characters, but the movie was just so badly written and directed. Alas, Francis Lawrence would not stand for such nonsense! In Catching Fire, the script was just so damn perfect and every line was so well-fitted to the characters! Honestly, I was in complete awe.
The camera work in The Hunger Games was also a really big let-down. It screwed the movie over so badly. But of course, the all-mighty Francis would never allow something like that. The shots in this movie were amazing, and the cinematography of the entire movie was just pure perfection.
I don't ever say things like this lightly, especially when it comes to stories that I hold so dear to me, but... Catching Fire, from the start and down to the very last scene, was FLAWLESS.
***SPOLER-ISH SECTION COMING UP, WALK AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS. I WARNED YOU!***
I know some idiot is going to say these things eventually, so I'll just address them now. Here goes:
"If the movie was so flawless and true to the book, why did Katniss kiss Gale twice? That doesn't happen in the book"
The book is written from Katniss's point of view. In the book, she tells us about her true feelings for Gale. She mentions that she is his, and he is hers, and she could never think of it any other way. Of course, in a movie, we can't just stare at Katniss for 20 minutes whilst she has these thoughts. So Francis depicted it in the most simple way possible: through a kiss.
"It wasn't perfect because there were so many parts from the book missing, like Katniss modeling the wedding dresses!!"
Yes, there were some things missing from the movie. You know why? Because if every little detail was included, the movie would be 12 hours long. Shut up, don't be an idiot. Every crucial scene and turning point in the book was included in the movie, and that's what matters.
"The movie was awful because Johanna didn't slap Katniss"
You're awful, and I'm gonna slap you.
"I didn't read the book but I don't even understand this stupid movie. It doesn't make sense. It's so boring"
Hahahaha... Run.