Catching Fire Movie Review Part 2: Least Favorite Moments *Spoiler Alert*

While I actually really liked the sequel "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", there were a few things that kind of disappointed me. Are these deal-breakers? Not really, though the subtle hint at what is to come kind of worries me (I address this in my final point, below). Overall, I think the movie was a much better representation of the novel than the first. You can read all my favorite moments HERE. Continue on for my least favorite (which is a much smaller list, by the way).

*This list contains SPOILERS to the Catching Fire novel and movie AND Mockingjay novel.*


Moments that disappointed in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" movie:

• Plutarch's missing watch...why leave it out? Was it going to be too obvious? Too much of a giveaway? I don't know, but it seemed such an important part of the book and I couldn't help being disappointed when it was left out.

• Peeta training with the morphlings...This isn't really a disappointing scene since it was left out. We're teased about it in US Weekly, but it never made it to the final cut. I really hope they put the deleted scenes on the DVD extras. I'd like to see more of everything from the movie!


• Katniss's Jesus-like sacrificial crane ride into the hovercraft...This was a little too overdone for my taste. I get that it's symbolic; I get that she thinks she is dead (anyone who read the book knows this already). So when she takes this ride up I really didn't need the arms-out Jesus-on-the-cross image to reinforce it. Besides, the flames below only made her outline look even more green-screened and fake.


• Finnick's unemotional appeal on the hovercraft...In the book, Finnick is ready to die alongside Katniss; he's an emotional wreck. The fact that Annie will probably be tortured by President Snow is too much to bear. And yet, here he is in the movie scheming along with Haymitch and Plutarch, not at all frazzled and desperate.


• The final scene with Katniss on the table...The second time I saw the movie, all I could think about was how much it reminded me of Bella in Twilight's Breaking Dawn Part 1 final scene. *Cringe* I know there is absolutely no comparison, but this really didn't do it for me for the ending.
  I see the look of terror in her eyes, then she slightly squints, telling us that she wants to seek revenge against the Capitol. But that's not how the book ends. Nor is it how Mockingjay starts. She wants nothing to do with this rebellion. She doesn't want to be the damn mockingjay. It infuriates her when she realizes she's just a pawn. She is so against the rebellion, it takes five chapters in Mockingjay to convince her to be the mockingjay. And even then she only does it on certain conditions.
  But, the look in her eyes at the end of the movie tells us she has committed to the cause, like a soldier who has signed on to fight in a war, not realizing the horrors that come next. Like she has it all together and will help lead the revolution. Somehow that look in her eyes at the end felt fake, contrived, because Katniss never really feels this way in the novels. Not once does Suzanne Collins glorify war in her novels. Not a single death is gratifying, including those of Presidents Coin and Snow. Katniss is an utter wreck at the end of Catching Fire; if she had squeezed her eyes closed and let a single tear fall, that final scene would have been more fitting.


My final notes:

After Katniss shoots the forcefield,
none of the characters are ever the same again.

  If Francis Lawrence wants to show how war hurts everyone, he can't show Katniss as a strong warrior anymore. We know from the books that as soon as Katniss lets that arrow fly into the forcefield, none of the characters–besides maybe Beetee–are ever the same again, including the Girl on Fire. They are merely survivors in a world they don't even want to belong. Depressing? Yes.
  But we must put aside this desperation to make Katniss commercially appealing in order to stay true to the message of the novels: war is completely depressing. Everyone loses. Everyone is broken. And we spend our entire lives trying to put the pieces back together.


Which moments were less-than-stellar in your opinion? Please share in the comments below.

Sources--All references to and images from the movie and novel are credited to:
©2013"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Lions Gate Entertainment Inc.® http://www.lionsgate.com/
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ©Sep 2009, Suzanne Collins, publ. Scholastic Press, 978-0-439-02349-8 http://www.scholastic.com/home/
Other images: Hunger Games Explorer - http://www.thehungergamesexplorer.com/us/
http://mockingjay.net/2013/11/13/hi-res-stills-the-hunger-games-catching-fire/peeta-morphling/

Which Catching Fire Quotes MUST Make the Movie?

Which quotes from Catching Fire are must-haves for the movie? 

Some of my favorite lines from the novel aren't actually quotes, but thoughts from Katniss's stream of consciousness (or internal monologue). I think they are essential to tell the story, but I don't know how they can be portrayed in the movie. This, of course, is where good acting comes in and I have no doubt that Jennifer Lawrence will be able to express these things without words. And we probably agree that some thoughts are just better if they aren't spoken aloud because it diminishes their meaning or sounds awkward.

For example, I love these lines from the book, but I know they would not have the same impact if they were spoken out loud:

“I realize the answer to who I am lies in that handful of poisonous fruit.” -Katniss, p. 118

“...everything will just get more complicated and I really can't think about kissing when I've got a rebellion to incite.” -Katniss, p. 125-126

“I have only one real friend in here.  And he isn’t from District 4.” -Katniss, p. 276

“I have always known who the enemy is. Who starves and tortures and kills us in the arena. Who will soon kill everyone I love.” -Katniss, p. 378

“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.” -Katniss, p. 386-387

Therefore, I am counting on Jennifer Lawrence to do another phenomenal job expressing these lines, conveying their meaning.

The actual quotes I do hope make the movie include:

“You could do a lot worse, you know.” -Haymitch, p. 45

“I only ever spoke to Thresh one time. Just long enough for him to spare my life. I didn't know him, but I always respected him. For his power. For his refusal to play the Games on anyone's terms but his own. The Careers wanted him to team up with them from the beginning, but he wouldn't do it. I respected him for that.”  -Katniss p. 60

“But I feel as if I did know Rue, and she'll always be with me. Everything beautiful brings her to mind. I see her in the yellow flowers that grow in the Meadow by my house. I see her in the mockingjays that sing in the trees. But most of all, I see her in my sister, Prim.”  -Katniss, p. 61

“Well, with an uprising in District Eight, I doubt he's spending much time choosing my wedding cake!” -Katniss, p. 99

“You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know.” -Haymitch, p. 178

“I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you.” -Peeta, p. 244

“You just remember who the enemy is.” -Haymitch, p. 260

“I don’t care if you are knocked up, I’ll rip your throat out.” -Johanna, p. 328

“If they really killed her like this, they’d probably have an uprising on their hands...Don’t want that, do they? Whole country in rebellion? Wouldn’t want anything like that!” -Johanna, p. 346

"So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans." -Haymitch, p. 384

“We had to save you because you’re the mockingjay, Katniss.” -Plutarch, p. 386

“I wish [Annie] was dead...I wish they were all dead and we were, too. It would be best.” -Finnick, p. 389

I am sure there are many more. Which ones are your favorites that you think are essential to the movie? Post your feedback in the comments below.

Read more about using quotes as a classroom activity here.

All quotes are from:
Collins, Suzanne, and Elizabeth B. Parisi. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. Print.
ISBN-10: 9780439023498
ISBN-13: 978-0439023498

People Magazine Exclusive: Real-life Katniss and Finnick, Inspired by The Hunger Games

PEOPLE Exclusive:  Meet a Real-Life Katniss and Finnick, Inspired by The Hunger Games

(NEW YORK) - The Hunger Games fans are counting down the days until Catching Fire opens on Nov. 22, but some parents have taken their love for the characters created by writer Suzanne Collins and named their children after the trilogy’s inspiring teenagers.

Scott and Christel Koedel of Ocean Ridge, Fla., named their first-born daughter Katniss, 2, after the heroine played by Jennifer Lawrence.

“I read The Hunger Games — and loved Katniss — early on when it was an unknown teen-lit series,” Christel, 35, tells PEOPLE.  While her husband Scott, 37, didn’t read the books until his baby was six months old, he understood his wife’s choice. “Katniss is very grounded,” he says.

And like her fictional namesake, this little girl is very protective of her little sister, Kaia, 1. Christel, who’s pregnant, isn’t sure about naming her third child after another Hunger Games character but admits, “I do like Gale [who's played by Liam Hemsworth in the films].  It’s a good strong name.”

Trey Boggs, 26, of Bethlehem, Ga., explains why he and his wife, Kelsey, chose to name their 16-month-old son, Finnick, after the character played by Sam Claflin. “I’m a closet nerd,” he tells PEOPLE. “No one expects a cop to like The Hunger Games!”

But the name fits their “adventurous and independent” toddler perfectly. “He always wants to go explore,” Kelsey, 24, says. “He’s fearless,” adds Trey.

For more on Catching Fire, including interviews with Josh Hutcherson and Lenny Kravitz, pick up PEOPLE‘s Special Collector’s Issue, on newsstands now.

Who Were the Best Teachers in The Hunger Games Trilogy?

Hmmm...was Cinna the best teacher for Katniss?

It's Teacher Appreciation Week, so that has me thinking...
Who were the best teachers for Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy?

Cinna? Haymitch? Effie? Peeta? Gale? Finnick? Boggs? Johanna? Plutarch? Her mother? Madge? Maybe even Primrose? Or perhaps President Snow in his sick, twisted way?

CLASSROOM CONNECTION
This might be a good writing prompt for your students: which characters seemed to teach Katniss the most--about herself, about the Games, or just about life?

Students can also write which "lessons" Katniss learned that were most valuable.

This might be an interesting small-group discussion activity. I could see students arguing for or against certain characters as being the best or most effective "teachers." To prep them, ask them what it takes to be a good teacher? Is it more important that you learn despite unorthodox delivery (as in Haymitch's mentoring techniques), or is delivery of instruction just as important (such as Cinna's gentle way of teaching Katniss)?

So what do YOU think? Which character was the best teacher for Katniss?

Hunger Games Inspired Valentine Cards

Last year I was inspired by our friends over at Novel Novice and their literature-inspired Valentines, so I created some fun Hunger Games Valentines (shown on right).

This year I've expanded my "collection" into a full-blown download (in higher-quality for better printing).  You can download them in my store {HERE}, or on Scribd {HERE}.

Here's a preview of some of the newer Valentines that you can share with your students. Or, better yet, have them create their own, inspired by any book! You can download a template {HERE}.