Catching Fire discussion post

[diaphenia]

I just got back from Catching Fire and....


I LOVED IT.

I mean, look. I'm a fandom girl, so obviously I have a lot of thoughts, so here goes:

• Loved the streamlined scene wherein the new D12 peacekeepers come in/Gale's whipping. While I would see a 14 hour movie, I am but one person, and I know things had to get cut. This was one scene that really benefited from the cut. The peacekeepers were an awesome threat on the district and they just came in and destroyed.


• The Victors' interviews with Caesar. That was amazing. As was everyone watching Katniss with her bow/arrow in the training center. Can someone write me fic about all the Victors going out drinking together the night before the Games? Yes?


• Katniss and Peeta sleeping together on the trains. I thought for certain that would get cut, but it didn't.


• Something I missed: Katniss and Peeta getting twelves. Not necessary, I suppose, but we saw the hung Seneca as well as Rue painted on the floor. Probably confusing if you haven't seen the first movie or read the books.


• Loved every kiss in the movie. Katniss/Gale, Katniss/Peeta, Finnick/Mags, etc, etc.


• Something else I missed: any and all scenes between the Quell announcement and the Reaping. We didn't get to see them train! The movie was so short! Why was it shorter than the last one?


• EFFIE. Especially her scene at the Reaping bowl, and the night before the Games. And Katniss appreciating her desire to unite the team with gold. And her red dress, good lord. I would wear that  in my real life.


• JOHANNA. Her voice was higher-pitched than I imagined, but she was perfect. Swearing on stage, yelling at Snow during the Games, having no one left she loves.


• Corollary: the elevator scene. YES. Katniss's face was phenomenal.


• Mag's death was good. I though the decision to have her never talk was a strange one, but I thought they nailed her, and her relationship with Finnick most especially.


• The use of Snow and Plutarch was particularly effective. I loved the way they wanted Katniss to fight dirty in the Games but she didn't, and the scene where she almost shot Finnick until he reminded her who her real enemies are was wonderful. I did love Finnick, even though I remember being highly skeptical when he was cast. I still... don't get the accent, but ok.


• Something else I missed: any other mention of the pregnancy after the interview. Haymitch and Effie bring it up that night, but no one mentions it in the arena, which is weird.


• Also, we don't get to see or hear anything about Haymitch's Games, which was emotionally devastating. And we don't get as much as I would've liked with him talking about the relationships the Victors have with each other, though it's there.


• The finale was always something I had a hard time picturing, but I thought they really brought it to life. I still don't entirely get Beetee's plan, but it worked for me.


• Katniss on the hovercraft, grabbing a weapon since she had no idea who she'd find on there. Katniss attacking Haymitch. Katniss, hearing Gale tell her there is no District Twelve. WHOA.


• My theater full of people were great! One weirdo quietly wolf-whistled the kisses (but waited an entire minute after the Katniss/unconscious Gale on a table kiss, which was strange) and the girls behind us were raised by wolves and only now allowed to interact with humans, but the theater clapped three times: once after Katniss blew up the arena, once at the end after the mockingjay art, and once when Phillip Seymour Hoffman's name card came up, which was adorable.

That's not everything, but that's enough for now. Where do you stand, with your post-movie feels?

Comments

[emilyla.livejournal.com]

I'm not a THG fangirl and I've only read the books once, but I really loved the movie. I started remembering things from the book as the movie was playing, so of course I was giggling like crazy during Peeta's interview when I realized the stunt he was going to pull. I did not remember about the psycho monkeys, though (when they first showed them, I was like "Oh, are they going to eat the monkeys?") and I may have yelled expletives when they started attacking.

I really loved Johanna and Mags. And Effie had moments of likability this time (and I thought you should know that Donna was frantically whispering to me that she wants that butterfly outfit. Of course she does).

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

Donna is so cool.

[ballroom_pink.livejournal.com]

Mags. Mags. Mags. She didn't say anything in the book, right? I pictured her played by Ethel Beavers, but Lynn Cohen did a really touching job.

[emilyla.livejournal.com]

Also did they give you swag at your showing? They gave us lanyards and Victor dog tags.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

We just got lanyards, damn it.

[deathmallow.livejournal.com]

Probably waiting to rent the DVD so I can skip the the parts I'm interested in. But thanks for the thoughts here!

Huge yays for the elevator scene (which I saw), reports of Johanna the Queen BAMF, reports of Haymitch being his snarky-but-caring self, and reports of Effie's slow awakening without her apparently going Full Metal Rebel. Boo for ignoring Haymitch's Games (seriously, I get the impression of not even a mention that he's the previous Quell victor...?). That's such a huge, huge char development for him for them to just leave it on the cutting room floor.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

He's absolutely mentioned as a victor but not as a Quell one specifically, I think.

[ballroom_pink.livejournal.com]

Haymitch won the Second Quarter Quell when two of each gender were picked from each district.

[courtknees1.livejournal.com]

Loved the movie. Loved the elevator scene. Wish there was more making out on the beach, while understanding it wouldn't necessarily have fit and that I'm probably just a pervert. I don't really have any specific thoughts to add to the ones you've shared, but I was really excited for the movie and it lived up to my expectations. Oh, but I forgot that Peeta gets left behind! Oh no! And her face at the end... the expressions that crossed over it.... woah. Give that girl an Osc- oh wait.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

You are a pervert, but a beautiful drop bear-themed pervert.

I love that JLaw's an Oscar-winning actress. Take that, Twilight!

[blithers.livejournal.com]

I was so happy they kept in the sleeping together on the train part. That would have been so easy to cut, but oh, the things it says.

I think I'm still on a high from seeing Catching First last night, oh man.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

I know, when my friends and I left the theater we wanted to watch it about seven more times in a row. We actually know the manager there, but damn it, he was uninterested in doing that for us.

The sleeping on the train was beautiful. I really thought they'd cut it, if only to stop everyone from thinking it was a sex thing, but I like how they did it, and it really emphasized the PTSD stuff, which was great.

[ballroom_pink.livejournal.com]

I saw it! Just now! And I loved it! I knew I would!

Before I forget, the best dress was not Katniss' wedding/Mockingjay dress it was that red dress of Effie's.

These movies have such good actors. When I read CF (my favorite of the series), I pictured Wiress and Beetee as Mary-Louise Parker and Tony Shalhoub and they did even better (especially Amanda Plummer ... go see The Fisher King RIGHT NOW). And then it has my favorite actor, PSH looking so very normal compared to the rest of the Capitol denizens. Were his eyebrows gold? He wore an Eastern belt towards the end but his outfits were tame.

Johanna Mason/Jena Malone. I adore her. I worship her. I clapped when she got FUCKING ANGRY.

The blowing up of the arena wasn't as much as I expected. I need to see it again. And I'm going to.

Haymitch's game (the 50th) came up in Mockingjay, I thought. I could be wrong.

[ballroom_pink.livejournal.com]

Will need some refreshing. When did Haymitch know about the plan?