The Hunger Games Part 1.5 Indeed

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2014)

--WARNING: There may be some spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the film, so just a heads up. In order to accurately review this film, it may be necessary to talk about some key moments.--
While watching Catching Fire it became clear very quickly that this would be as delicate a watch as I had planned for. Having been familiar with critics praise towards it and word of mouth on the flip side throwing warning my way, it was obvious that this movie was going to do something interesting at the least by it's end.
Reality is, for any seasoned movie goer, its not the ending that will be the interesting part, it's the decisions the film makes, mostly regarding switching gears about half way through and getting comfortable with the repeat game. The whole first half of the film is a breathe of fresh air and sets up this interesting after victory world for both Katniss and Peeta. However, just around a little less than half way through it forfeit's originality in favor of bringing back successful elements from the first film and basically trying to 1up and/or remix them.
This was where the film drags on the most, but at the same time, a Hunger Games film dragging is still better than the greater many blockbuster movies out there. And it's only fair to say that it's still a lot of fun, but most of the thrill present in the first film will see many drawing comparisons between the ones presented here, and those from before, rather than being awe struck or captivated by them.
Now admittedly so, I am not the biggest fan of the first, but then again I'm not a particularly big fan of most blockbuster movies, so liking The Hunger Games alone shows my support for the franchise, however, as enjoyable as it may be it must be considered a let down to true fans of the series more than not, and I will most likely be seeing the last film more out of necessity now rather than anticipation.
My advice to anyone who wants to see this movie is to basically expect a part 1.5, as it is just that. Be prepared to see some re-hashing, more of a remix actually, as the full potential of this movie is squandered away on a plethora of filler in place of entertaining plot development. Actually, it can almost entirely be considered filler, but again, it's not a boring filler, just not a fully realized one. I do recommend this movie, but mostly just to fans and/or people who need to satisfy their blockbuster cravings with a good blockbuster.