#Hunger games catching fire free tv

Besides Finnick, other contestants of note include the mute, elderly Mags (Lynn Cohen), the eccentric duo Wiress (Amanda Plummer) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) and the feral presence of Johanna (Jena Malone). A sequence where some decidedly vicious, mutated monkeys attack is a standout, while other obstacles - such as a deadly, poisonous fog - also provide some suitably thrilling and exciting moments. This time, there is less focus on the brutality among the contestants as much as the danger provided by Plutarch Heavensbee and his fellow gamemakers, who send more deadly obstacles than before at those trapped in the Games. Once the Games are underway, Catching Fire moves very quickly, with one set-piece after another. Some have joked that Claflin looks like Aquaman, wearing his Hunger Games, aquatic-ready uniform and wielding his weapon, and it’s hard not to think that sooner or later, Claflin likely will play a comic book hero. Claflin is very good here, playing both the confidence and ambiguity Finnick projects – and he’s pretty damn talented with that trident he uses as a weapon. Finnick is a narcissist who has indulged in the fame and fortune being a good looking and charming Hunger Games victor has given him, and yet still someone who also has gone through the same horrific experiences as Katniss and has similar concerns about those he loves. Among the newcomers, Sam Claflin has the most screen time as Finnick Odair, a fellow victor who is a potential ally – but, of course, someone Katniss can’t fully trust, given the Hunger Games can only end one way. Yes, there is a necessary - and faithful to the source material - cliffhanger, as we head towards Mockingjay, but it feels like there could have been one more scene or beat added to give a bit more payoff to this particular piece of the story. It should also be noted that even more than in The Hunger Games, Catching Fire’s ending feels abrupt.

Still, the overall approach and the chacterizations go far to help move beyond the structural echoes. This is how it is in the books too of course, but with the movie, there is an innate “This all feels pretty familiar…” vibe that sticks out even more. Aside from the victory tour, we go on a similar route as the first film did, from District 12 to the Capitol and the training period and then into the Games. The Hunger Games ReviewThere’s no denying that structurally, Catching Fire is extremely similar to The Hunger Games. As Katniss and Peeta meet, and in some cases befriend, their fellow competitors (all older than they are), they ponder how in the world they’re supposed to now kill these people. Katniss and her fellow victors being forced to compete again though is another level of cruelty and treated with the appropriate weight.

The Hunger Games' existence is horrible enough on its own for the people of Panem and those forced to compete. What really comes across here is the innate sadness of this scenario.

#Hunger games catching fire free tv

Once more, we feel the bleakness of Panem and the sterile, manufactured happiness of the Capitol and those who inhabit it – Stanley Tucci is even more charismatically odious this time around as the ghoulishly energetic TV host, Caesar Flickerman. Meanwhile, I was pleased to see Lawrence does a wonderful job of maintaining the tone established by Ross in the first film and expanding upon it. Well, let’s get it out of the way – the shaky cam is pretty much non-existent in Catching Fire and Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend) films the action in a much more steady, traditional manner. I thought Gary Ross did a very good job on the first film, though I felt he did sometimes go too far with the shaky cam aesthetic, which some outright hated. The biggest change for Catching Fire from last time is the new director, Francis Lawrence. And in a game where there's almost no chance of surviving, Snow makes it clear to Heavensbee that Katniss Everdeen must not become a two-time winner. What does any good reality competition go with eventually? An All-Stars edition! And so Kantiss finds herself forced, once more, as part of the special 'Quarter Quell', to compete in 75th annual Hunger Games, this time against 23 other survivors. And so Snow and his new head gamemaker, the ambitious Plutarch Heavensbee (the great Philip Seymour Hoffman), decide to deal with the problem in a big, public way. But Katniss has become a symbol to the people of Panem of something more – a spark of rebellion in a society that is quite the powder keg.