A few years ago, the nation was ablaze with “Hunger Games” fever. Teenage girls and boys hung on Suzanne Collin’s, the author of the trilogy, every word. Now, the second movie, “Catching Fire,” has been released, and fans of the books flocked to the midnight premiere on Nov. 21.

Many SDA students, including this reviewer, also watched the premiere and returned to school the next day on three hours of sleep. It was worth it. The special effects exploded on screen and the sounds and cinematography flowed cohesively throughout the entire movie.

A huge standout in the movie was the excellent casting. Many new characters were introduced, such as the victors from the previous games, and each one perfectly matched their counterpart in the book series.

Furthermore, the actors’ talent was evident throughout the entire movie. Jennifer Lawrence, starring as Katniss Everdeen, can play the cold and stubborn hero of the trilogy and also win an Oscar in Best Actress for playing a dance-loving widow in “Silver Linings Playbook.” The actors who played citizens of the capitol were just the right mix of extravagant, ridiculous, and irrationally in love with the tributes for the Games.

An important factor for any fan of a book-turned-movie is that the production is true to the original text. “Catching Fire” went above and beyond the book. Generally, adding extra scenes to a movie when they weren’t present in the book is considered a “no-no.” But certain extra details in this movie add a whole new level of depth to the trilogy, allowing the viewer to see the games from more than one angle.
All in all, like Capitol citizens watching every move in the 75th Hunger Games, moviegoers will be enthralled by this film.