After three books about Katniss Everdeen have taken the world by storm, even though there are several similarities in the general idea to "Battle Royale", Lionsgate has decided to film the books. After the first one, "The Hunger Games", fans were craving for more....
And now, finally, we got what we all were desperately waiting for: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire". And let me tell you that the critics and the audiences have not fooled us, the movie is as good as its reputation. And they really let us have it! The promotional efforts have been rollig all over us in the last few months and the tease was constant. Here, on Icon Art Marilyn, I have dished about the fashion seen in the trailers and posters as soon as they were out and I was so pleased with wat the visuals provided.
Making Francis Lawrence, director of Lady Gaga's epic video for "Bad Romance" and Will Smith movie "I Am Legend", seemed the perfect choice right from the beginning, as he is known for his clear edge cutting visuals that incorporate this mad dark undertone and give a feeling of contaigion, supression, pain and lifelessness. The visuals are definitely more clear and very much darker then those of the first movie. Well, that should be the result of the up high budget and the buzz the first movie has created. Diving right into it, let me reassure you that the first third of the movie is depressing and re-creates absolutely the feeling of life in danger, a life in constant threat of beeing killed off. The second thirs shows the growing discompfort of Katniss with her situation as the third part shows the actual Quater Quell. Katniss is no longer the same girl. She is darker, broken and her expertise on life is a different one. The moment President Snow pays visit to the Victors Village of District 12 Katniss gets the idea that she never will be out the range of fire. Death is on her feet and just waits to jump up the ladder. During the Victors Tour Katniss and Peeta grow a little closer together, allthough there is no real fire in it... well from Peetas side there is. And constantly on Katniss is her good friend and kind of lover Gale.
As soon as the cameras are on they are trying their best and sadly they half fail as the Districts are very hard on them. But I dont want to spoil the stryline for the ones that havent read the book yet. But i can give you the following: The movie is very realistic and true to the book. What really gets me going is that the fashion is overwhelming, the character play is extraordinarily good, the sets are mindblowing and the dialgues are sharp, edgy and stay close to the characters we all love. Everything in this movie shows the Capitols desire for blood, their agression and their very excellence in the art of killing, their miss-valuation of life in general, their absolute disgust over individuality and the cold agression presented gives you shivers. Jennifer Lawrence gives us her all and we feel with her, her agony and her absolute devastation. We feela long Peeta and his real undying love for Katniss. We feel along Haymitch, starting to feel again, after drinking himself to death as a result to cope with him beeing a victor as well. And, my absolute favorite, Effie Trinket. We see her develope and questioning the reality of the world she lives in. She hesitates to reap her victors names as the reaping for the 75th Hunger Games is in process. She tries to fight for them, and she even tells them that they deserve way better. I like that they show that she has a developement.
Basically the movie has too much to talk about, and when the DVD is out I will probably give you a reading of all the things going on in this fantastic movie. But what really left the mark on me is that the movie gives us a clear understanding of what a dystopian, supressive, totalitarian and inhuman nation does to people, how violence affects peoples lives and their psychology, their longing for freedom and the perversion of life in such a system. I am very much impressed by how this was brought across the screen to us as viewers.
The only thing I regret is that we have to waint another year for the next movie, and two years to see the final movie. But, and you can believe me, I will still burn for this movie! Cause it is iconic!
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