Words by Terence Wang
Additional writing by Siangling Tan
When the train carrying three Hunger Games victors and one poodle-like woman exited the tunnel to reveal a panoramic view of Panem, I felt certain that I was in for a treat. And I was right.
Taking place soon after the events in The Hunger Games, Catching Fire brings viewers behind the cameras and into the lives of Katniss and Peeta, victors of the earlier 74th Hunger Games. Without spoiling too much for people who haven't watched the series at all - honestly though, you should hitting Back, Close, Ctrl+W or whatever you fancy right now - they managed to break the tradition of one-winner-per-game in a spontaneous, last-minute move of desperation, but by doing so have forced the powerful hand of the secretive, authoritarian government led by President Snow (played by Jonathan Sutherland).
A little disclaimer beforehand: You can say I'm a fan of the novel trilogy. It was more accidental than anything else, really - a couple of years ago, I selected the first book at a lazy session in my local bookstore and started a read. Before I knew it, several hours had passed, I was walking out of the store in a mockingjay-induced daze and a desire to catch up with the rest of the series. As such, if you're not enamored by the books, you may want to take my review with a bit of salt, or take the comparison of the movie with its book counterpart out of the equation. On the other hand, if you, too, enjoyed the novels and the themes associated with them, then this overview will be for you.
