Both movies end with a sense of foreboding and a clear nod to the fact that audiences will have time to anticipate the next instalment of this story. The Hunger Games very nearly feels like a completely story unto itself. Its ending could hint to further exploration of the universe, but doesn’t demand it. We see President Snow walk away, but the games are over and Katniss and Peeta are alive and together and seem to be prepared to go home.
Catching Fire demands more. It’s not just that it ends in an Empire Strikes Back vein with our fellowship separated and our heroine fleeing the villain to meet up with the rebel alliance. It’s that the entire film builds up such rage in us as an audience that never really gets satisfied. It gets interrupted. The anger we feel towards Snow and the Capitol is unquenched. The closing shot of Katniss’ face is therefore a perfect one, with fear and confusion quickly transitioning to a simmering fury that assures us there will be retribution in Part One and/or Two of Mockingjay.
I prefer to avoid comparisons of movies and their sequels, but the first movie in this franchise deserves enormous credit if for no other reason than its degree of difficulty. People had fairly specific ideas of what a visual representation of The Hunger Games ought to be, right down to the skin color of some characters that didn’t even align with what was in the actual text. It didn’t matter though, because the emotional attachment was so profound that there is an intrinsic sense of deflated imagination when you see your personal impressions trumped by something as definitive as a movie.
The brains behind this franchise (producer Nina Jacobson et al) seem to be in control of a smooth operation. I was so pleased with the first movie—eventually, like after watching it a few times—that a sequel that rivaled it in quality would have been satisfying. Most seem to think that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire does that and then some, and I have to agree. The odds seem to favor the continued success of its upcoming episodes.
What are your thoughts on the Hunger Games franchise? Share them in the comments section below.