"Hunger Games" vs. "Divergent" - A YA Dystopian Faceoff

I just finished reading the "Divergent" series, and since it's basically trying to be the next "Hunger Games," I thought I'd compare and contrast the two series.

"Divergent," by Veronica Roth, is a series about a girl in dystopian future Chicago who discovers that she may be in danger because she's divergent, which means that she has an aptitude for more than one trait in a strict faction-based society. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is about a girl in dystopian future America who is sent into an arena in an annual contest where teenagers fight to the death.

(Mild spoilers for "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" series ahead. No major plot twists are revealed.)

Review: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

This review was originally posted at KPC Media Group's website and published in their three daily newspapers. You can read the original review here. Reprinted with permission.

There's a glorious phenomenon in fiction, when suddenly the reader or viewer realizes how much more there is going on in the world that these fictional characters inhabit.

For me at least, that's the moment that a piece of fiction in any form starts to take hold of my emotions, and I start to inhabit that world alongside that fictional character.

And that's what "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is all about. The franchise goes from the first movie, a tidy little story about a girl trying to survive a battle to the death in a dystopian future, to a sprawling tale of rebellion centering on that same girl, who discovers that she's still trying to survive a battle to the death - just against different opponents. It's an affecting tale, made especially emotional by a stunning performance by the young woman in the center of it all.

"Catching Fire" picks up where "The Hunger Games" left off - teenagers Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have won the annual teenage death battle the Hunger Games by manipulating those in power with their mostly-for-the-cameras romance. Katniss thinks she'll be able to settle down and live a relatively normal life, but she soon discovers she can't.

Because Katniss and Peeta made the authoritarian Capitol and its ruthless leader, President Snow (Donald Sutherland), look weak during their games, the pair - especially the fiery Katniss - inadvertantly spurred the downtrodden citizens into revolt. To save those they love - including Katniss' mother (Paula Malcomson), sister Prim (Willow Shields) and friend/sometimes love interest Gale (Liam Hemsworth) - Katniss and Peeta must try to calm tempers in the districts during their victory tour. When that doesn't work, Snow and the new head of the Hunger Games, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), devise a new way to scare the districts into submission - hold a Hunger Games featuring former champions, including, of course, Katniss and Peeta, as tributes.

The scope of the story is just much bigger in "Catching Fire" than it was in "The Hunger Games." We got a sense in the first movie that there was unrest in one of the districts, partially sparked by Katniss' actions in the games, but in "Catching Fire," the scope of the actions by Katniss and Peeta take on a new weight. The audience discovers along with Katniss just how important the events of the first movie are, and the first half of the movie is a dizzying buildup of tension as the weight of her actions - and the realization of the trajectory of the rest of her life - settles on her shoulders. Add to that a nice big dose of PTSD for Katniss from her participation in the Hunger Games, and you have a recipe for a pretty big, emotional story.

Katniss is a lead character who often internalizes her feelings, though, so it's important that the actress playing her can show the audience the depths of her pain, rage and despair. That's where Jennifer Lawrence comes in. She was very good in the first "Hunger Games" movie, but Lawrence is nothing short of brilliant in "Catching Fire." Without her, this movie would pack a lot less of a punch. With Lawrence taking center stage, though, "Catching Fire" is a tense, scary, emotional roller-coaster of a movie.

"Catching Fire" is also just a better made, more streamlined movie. As much as I like the work of Gary Ross, who directed "The Hunger Games," Francis Lawrence clearly has a better handle on the themes of the material. Ross' biggest flaw was the same problem that happens with so many other book-to-movie adaptations - the director wants to be too faithful to the books, to the detriment of the film. It's not that Lawrence wasn't faithful too, because he was - if memory serves, he took several scenes straight from the books - but he also made the story his own. He wasn't as constrained by the source material, and it improved the flow of the movie immensely from the first movie.

The only real flaw with "Catching Fire" is the fact that it ends on a cliffhanger that won't be resolved for another year. Even if you read the books like I have, it's fun, yet tough, to walk out of the theater with so much unresolved. Still, don't skip the movie just because of the ending - other than the big unknowns at the end, "Catching Fire" is a well-made, immensely entertaining, satsifying sequel that outshines its predecessor.

Jenny's Take: See it tonight.

(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language. Runs 146 minutes.)

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Review posted at KPC Media Group

It was the moment we'd all been waiting for ... the premiere of "Catching Fire," the sequel to "The Hunger Games." And it delivered!!!!!!!! And it was even better, because I went to a double feature of the first movie and the sequel! 

Read my full review of the movie over at KPC Media Group's website by clicking here, or pick up one of the KPC Media Group Sunday newspapers to read it in good old fashioned print. I'll post the full review here on Monday!

Midweek Mancandy: Chris Hemsworth ... and a bonus!

Ah, it's Wednesday, which means it's time for another edition of Midweek Mancandy.

Like last week, we are going to feature yet another gorgeous Australian hunk well-known for starring in movies based on comic books.

That's right, this week's Mancandy selection is ...

(Photo Credit)

Chris Hemsworth!

Geek-Out Time: New Photos from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

Happy Saturday! Let's start out the weekend with some geeking out, shall we?

(Photo Credit)

Effie seems to think we should!

IndieWire has lots of new pictures from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," which you can see here. There are lots of the characters from the first movie, including Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim, Katniss' mom, Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, Caesar Flickerman, Plutarch Heavensbee and President Snow, but we also get to see some of the new tributes, including Cashmere, Gloss,  Johanna, Wiress, Beetee, Mags, Brutus, Enobaria and, of course, FINNICK! Eee!

I don't know about all y'all, but I am SO incredibly excited about the next "Hunger Games" movie. I am still incredibly wary about how the third book will translate on screen, because it's very introspective at times, but I think that "Catching Fire" will actually make a very exciting movie. 

A few stray thoughts:

• Nobody else could play Katniss like Jennifer Lawrence can. She is fantastic in the role. Ditto with Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. Sheer perfection.
• Peeta is so adorable. Josh Hutcherson is not what I pictured Peeta looking like when I read the books originally, but he is actually weirdly perfect. He is not as tall as I thought Peeta would be, but he looks strong and he has the most wonderful wounded puppy dog eyes, which is necessary because poor Peeta feels like a sad, wounded puppy a lot.
• Effie Trinket is just plain fabulous.
• Stanley Tucci is a national treasure. Can he be in every movie? 
• They got Mags perfect, no?
• And finally, LOOK AT FINNICK OMG THOSE DIMPLES! *melts*

What do you think of the new "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" photos?

Julianne Moore in "Hunger Games" - No Better Casting Exists

Warning: "The Hunger Games" spoilers ahead. Do not read this blog entry until you've read the books. Don't worry, I'll wait.

It's been rumored for a while, but now it's official. Here is your President Coin:

(Photo Source)

I gotta say, I didn't have anybody specifically in mind for President Coin as the movies were being made, but now I'm pretty sure that Julianne Moore is the only logical choice. It's one of those castings that is so unbelievably perfect, I can't imagine anybody else being considered.

The thing I think that Moore brings to the role is a mix of charisma and grit, which is exactly what President Coin needs. Coin is the leader of District 13 and the revolution against the Capitol. She seems OK at first, and she's obviously quite charismatic because everybody follows her, but it becomes clear throughout "Mockingjay" that Coin is actually yet another villain for Katniss to defeat. She's willing to go to great lengths - scary, immoral lengths - to gain power and defeat the Capitol. In the end, she's scarier than President Snow, mainly because she's so convincing and charismatic. 

I think Moore will be a fantastic President Coin, but what do you think? Does anybody have any reservations about this casting news?