We had the boys' regular Ustazah coming over to tutor the boys yesterday for a quick revision before their tajwid exam the next day. So what did myself and Anita do? We went out for a movie. We went to Catch Fire.
Catching Fire was the second instalment to the Hunger Games trilogy. All the familiar characters were back, plus some new ones. Since I read the books, I spent the hour before explaining the background to Anita, as I was sure the film wouldn't be able to do justice to the story. And I was glad that I did.
The main elements of the book were incorporated and the storyline stayed faithful to the book. Similar to the first film, the main strength of the film was the atmosphere. It really captured the doom and gloom of the oppression, while injecting elements of humanity. Too serious for my children actually. I don't think it was suitable for them yet.
The casting was near perfect, and the acting was just right. More subdued than what was described in the book despite some over-the-top scenes featuring the excellent Stanley Tucci.
The storyline flowed, and the two-and-a-half hour just flew by. There were a lot more which could be included but the story would be too long. Anita left the theatre with more questions and she couldn't wait for the final chapter. I heard that the last book would be split into two movies. They might just as well ...
I would definitely recommend the movie but it was best to observe the PG13 rating. It wasn't the scenes that were disturbing, but the actual story could be too bleak to stomach. Some parts of the story was just too depressing. Certainly the last part was a cliffhanger.
