I just now saw this thread. A much-belated congrats on seeing it, Peter. I thought Catching Fire was really good at the time and, though I've become a little more discerning since its 2013 theatrical release, still have a pretty high opinion of it overall. I liked the heightened political angle and focus of Catching Fire, though the relationship between Katniss and Peeta got to feeling progressively more forced as the film went on.
On the other hand, I was a bit disappointed with the division of the final installment, Mockingjay, into two separate films, which required the imposition of a significant amount of pointless filler material that would've been better left out in favor of it being made as a single movie. Mockingjay was one book, not two. It was more compelling that way. Also, sewer monsters...really?
Also also, minor qualm with all the film versions: why is Katniss white in the movies when the novels describe her as having "olive" skin? Not that Jennifer Lawrence didn't do an outstanding job of portraying the essence of the character, but still this difference has always stuck out to me. Interviewing only white actors for the role was probably a decision made to ensure that more tickets would be sold, but you know what, there just would've been a somewhat different feel to the films if they had been true to the novels in this particular way.
But the first two movies have definitely gone down as culturally iconic of the early 2010s and rightly so.
Last edited by IMPress Polly; 09-14-2018 at 10:55 AM.