Fire is spreading!

I am not sure where to even start.  My head is still spinning.  I guess I could sum it up like this;  Francis Lawrence nailed it!  This movie adaptation of the Catching Fire Novel was dead on.  I am currently reading Mockingjay (part 3) but so far, book 2, Catching Fire is my favorite and seeing it brought to life on the big screen was (high pitched sound) awesome!!! Our favorite characters from Hunger Games have matured a little since the first version,  and it suits them all so well.  There were also a few newbies added to the mix, and again (singing voice) nailed it!

Newcomers include:

Sam Claflin  I have to admit, I was not sold on Sam when they cast him.  The character in the book was described in a way that I did not see how anyone could fit the description of being this perfect specimen of a human but Sam Claflin pulled it off effortlessly.  Thank you, Sam for that!

Jeffrey Wright  Another perfect casting.  He is so talented, so suave, so sophisticated. Sigh................

Philip Seymour Hoffman  I also had my doubts about Philip Seymour Hoffman.  I have seen him in other movies, and he is without a doubt a fantastic actor.  I just could not see him as Plutarch Heavensbee, head gamemaker, but he brought his game and played it well.





                                       

Jena Malone  This girl came in on fire!  She gave Katniss a run for her money as Johanna Mason.  I definitely want her on my side.








                                             

Lynn Cohen  Oh my goodness!  This is the cutest little lady I have ever seen!!!!  She played Mags and was awesome!!!!!





Of course, my favorites still remain Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson).  All of the characters were cast flawlessly.

Great character casting+great storyline=A winning combination.

Recommendations before you go.  Do not drink a lot prior to going in or bring a catheter, you will not want to miss a minute of this!!!  Wear loose, comfortable clothes and pig out on candy and popcorn.  Bring tissue just in case-I do not want to spoil anything so I will just leave it at that.  Try not to sit beside a nonreader because they will just not get it and ask a lot of questions.  My only negative about the movie is it is very long but it moves at a really fast pace so it does not seem as long as it is.  Oh, Johanna Mason does drop the F-bomb but they bleep it out even though that really did not make a difference because it was obvious anyway. This is the best movie we have seen this year! I would recommend it to anyone 10 and older and has seen the first one or read the books.
 
More info:
Main characters:  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone

Lionsgate

Watch the official trailer here.