I watched two new movies last night, the first being the second installment of the acclaimed “Hunger Games” series entitled “Catching Fire,” followed by the latest offering from the Coen Brothers, “Inside Llewyn Davis” which, due to limited release, I was unable to catch in theaters. I found the highly anticipated first installment of this four-film saga to be rather overhyped. It wasn’t necessarily a bad film per se; Jennifer Lawrence was great as always, transitioning from her role in the independent film “Winter’s Bone” as a rifle-toting southerner living in the impoverished Ozark mountains to a bow-toting blockbuster action hero living in an impoverished, dystopic district with ease. I also approved of its message, (if indeed, there is a precise message to be drawn from this fairly complex story), and was impressed with the writer’s bravery and willingness to tackle morally complex issues while still ensuring that it remained accessible for young audiences. Yet the characters themselves struck me as fairly contrived and uninteresting, just as the dialogue was at times boring, and on a few occasions, cringe-worthy. Peeta Mellark, (a name which I can’t even utter without feeling like Lois from “Family Guy”), is perhaps the most dispensable and irritating character I can fathom outside of Jar-Jar Binks. I would blame the actor for being uncharismatic, but honestly, it seems like he really doesn’t have much to work with anyway. Some critics have interpreted this uniquely devoid-of-anything-remotely-valuable character as being a “Christ-figure” for some reason. What do they mean by that, I wonder? This isn’t, after all, Paul Newman from “Cool Hand Luke”, nor is it the blatantly allegorical Aslan from “The Chronicles of Narnia”. If Jesus was a blundering idiot who had to be carried about and looked after by his disciples at all times to ensure he didn’t accidently step into a bear trap, I suppose the comparison could be drawn. Otherwise, I’m at a complete loss. Then there’s Effie Trinket, a cardboard cutout of Rita Skeeter/Dolores Umbridge with a bit of Lady Gaga thrown in there. She is supposed to embody the ideal citizen under the capitols supreme authority and as such, she carries herself like a walking talking propaganda poster. The main antagonist President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland, is a worthy adversary to Katniss Everdeen, marked by an intimidating presence and calm demeanor as that of a benevolent father, cradling his disobedient children in his arms moments before strangling them. The skilled veteran actor manages to make us overlook some of the more corny lines he’s been given to recite by means of the strong and frightening delivery with which he articulates every word. By the same token, I was also pleased to see Woody Harrelson in the cast as the cynical drunk whos been dragged along for the ride to serve s Katniss and Peeta’s advisor. But enough about the first film, there are a few additions and changes made to “Catching Fire” that I need to address right off the bat, as I feel they both contribute strongly to making it the successful (and I would argue, superior) sequel it is. Firstly, there is the addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman as the ambitious newly-volunteered game maker Plutarch, (in reference to the Greek historian, perhaps? That would make sense, as apparently the only source from which the author has derived any inspiration for her books is Greek mythology.) I’m eager to see where they take him in part three. Also, the filmmakers have wisely opted to do away with the shaky camera nonsense that plagued all of the fight sequences in “Hunger Games.” This time around, the mounted cameras means that the action is focused, rather than headache-inducing. Props to the capitol for also really stepping up their game with very cool and horrible arenas to fight in/on/around. At the request of a friend, I wont spoil anything, but I have to mention that there are giant baboons at one point. Now, if you have ever visited a zoo and have seen baboons interacting with one another in their artificially constructed habitat, you know just how evil and nasty these creatures are. As a young boy, I remember seeing their king, a giant baboon seated atop a rock and surrounded by women diligently picking the fleas out of his coat. Any look the alpha found to be unfavorable from any one of his subjects would put him on a vicious tirade, where the perpetrator could be subjected to all manners of cruelty. The dictator had, no doubt, worked very hard to get to where he was then, building for himself a stairway out of the severed skulls and broken bones of his adversaries. Now that hed made it to the top, he lived in a state of constant paranoia that at any moment, a traitor lurking in his midst might stab him in the back. It could be anyone- an advisor, a wife, perhaps even one of his own children. As such, he kept a watchful eye on al that transpired before him, while fretting ceaselessly over whatever treachery might have been unfolding in the shadows. The employees of this establishment surely must require an incredible salary to be willing to step foot in the domain of the baboon day after day, in constant fear of having their head ripped off and placed on a spike. But anyway, Im getting side-tracked. Like Legolas, Katnisss quiver never seems to run dry, and she never seems to miss. And every thing she hits, regardless of size or placement of arrow, will almost assuredly be killed on spot. Rather than get nitpicky about this however, I’m willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of enjoyment. And that brings me to my final point on “Catching Fire”, and the thing that really won me over. It was immensely more enjoyable than “Hunger Games” in almost every respect. Despite the fact that the arena scenes occupy nearly a full hour of the film, it never becomes monotonous or boring. The newly introduced competitors inducted into the games are also funner to watch, particularly in the case of a Neil deGrasse Tyson-esque character who uses science to rain hell down on his opposition. I don’t want you to get the impression that “Catching Fire” lacks the dramatic weight carried by “Hunger Games”, as that would be untrue. Again, I believe that the tone has been improved by cutting back heavily on the melodramatic silliness of its predecessor and instead focusing in on bigger issues involving the world these characters inhabit as a whole. By the film’s conclusion, Katniss has stepped out of her role as a self-sacrificing young woman intent on protecting her family, and into the role of a revolutionary leader. My Rating: 8/10
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:41:26 +0000