By Ellie Smith
Features Editor

As audience members file into AMC Theaters in Tyngsboro, MA, they can hardly contain their excitement for the movie that is about to start. With most of the audience having read the book, they anticipate what the director has done with the movie and how accurately the film resembles the book.

On Friday Oct. 22, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released in theaters worldwide. This movie was based on the second best-selling novel in The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins.

The critically acclaimed movie The Hunger Games was a tough act to follow. However, the sequel surpassed expectations on almost every level.

The sequel picks up where the previous movie left off, continuing with the story of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark who have just won the 74th annual Hunger Games. The victors now travel to each of the districts on the Victory Tour and are soon sent back into the arena to fight to the death once again.

The movie featured Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. The actors seemed to have improved their acting skills since the first movie and the acting remained spot-on throughout the entire film.

Some new actors not seen in the first Hunger Games movie include Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair and Jena Malone as Johanna Mason.

This action-packed movie used outstanding special effects to depict some suspenseful scenes. Various scenes that took place in the arena had audience members on the edge of their seats including the poisonous fog that leaves painful blisters on skin and the monkeys who attack a group of tributes in the arena.

The attire of the characters throughout the movie was accurate with the descriptions in the book, showing how dedicated the director was to keeping the movie authentic. Some of the most enticing costumes included Katniss’s wedding dress, the girl-on-fire costume, and the wetsuits worn in the arena.

The girl-on-fire costume, as seen in the previous movie, was even more realistic as flames emanated from both Katniss and Peeta as they were introduced as tributes for a second time in the captiol.

The soundtrack for the film featured songs from artists including Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Imagine Dragons and Lorde. All of the songs seemed to fit each scene well and enhanced the plot.

The book was so action packed and rich with detailed scenes, it was difficult for the director to incorporate all of the influential scenes into one 2 and a half hour movie. Some of the important scenes were missing, though most of the major plot points were included in the film.

Overall, I strongly suggest  you see this movie. Its action packed scenes combined with superb acting make it even better than the original film.

4.5/5