Hunger Games: Catching Fire | The Visionary Film Fanatic

Hunger Games is kind of a weird phenomena. It somehow became one of the highest grossing movies of each year that it has been released. They are praised by most critic groups and made Jennifer Lawrence a star. Young Adult novels have been a source for films for a while but most of them seem to fail. So far only Twilight and Harry Potter have been really successful and now Hunger Games seems to be the most successful of the three. American audiences love it but foreign audiences have been a little less thrilled for these products. The first one didn’t do much overseas but Hunger Games: Catching Fire seemed to change that. Now I’m curious as to how the next one is going to do. It is clear that it is going to bank at the box office but how much can it make.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself in District 13 after she destroys the Games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.

Directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Dormer, Stef Dawson, Willow Shields, and Donald Sutherland. Produced by Color Force Production and Distributed by Lionsgate Films.

Constantine

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare

There are a good amount of bad movies out there that everyone loves. I understand liking a bad movie for what it is, I like ones that I can laugh at. I can’t tell if this is a good movie or a bad one. Every time I watch it I enjoy it but when it comes down to it it doesn’t have a lasting impression. It’s unlike any comic book movie I’ve seen and I like what they did with the movie, yes I know it’s not like the comics at all. Once I finish watching it I wonder if it was actually good or just me enjoying what I watched. It’s one of those movies got slammed by critics and I never quite understood why. It’s competently made but still has a fair amount of problems. It has a well written lead character and really well done story. The special effects are great for nearly ten years ago. Yet what makes it bad?

After the suicide of her sister, Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) seeks the helps of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), an exorcist who has been to hell and back. She doesn’t believe her sister killed herself. Constantine finds other reason though supernatural. She was a crucial element to the resurrection of Mammon, the son of the devil. Constantine must help Angela stop the plan to release Mammon from hell.

Now there are things that bring this movie down. One of those things is Shia LeBeouf’s character, who isn’t in it that long but they way he is portrayed is slightly on the annoying side A lot of actors are actually wasted in this movie. Tilda Swinton is an incredible actress but she gets two scenes to prove that she is an electrifying actress. Peter Stormare is great as the Devil but is only given one scene to shine in. This is Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz movie and they are given enough time to develop their characters. I do think the John Constantine is a well written character who is brought to life by Reeves, who’s wooden acting actually works for his portrayal of his character. Weisz always gives a good performance and she make Angela into a character with a purpose and not eye candy.

Outside of one short and well done action scene this is more of a horror movie that an action one. It relies on visuals to create an atmosphere that makes Los Angeles creepy. It is a horror movie minus the scares, which would not bond with hardcore genre fans. I think it makes the movie much better. It knows what it is and embraces it. The scenes in Hell are remarkable though don’t outstay there welcome. There isn’t anything special about the cinematography but it gets the job done.

Now I’m overly praising this movie. It is ultimately a forgettable movie. It is here to provide enjoyment for 2 hours and it does that perfectly. I don’t think it will be remembered at the end of the day and nor should it. It doesn’t redefine the genre or do anything new but it is completely serviceable if you are looking for a fun movie to watch on a saturday night.

Grade: B