Overall, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is heads and shoulders above the first movie which in itself was entertaining. This is a strong and tighter film in terms of story. The UHD release by Lionsgate is more or less the same as its predecessor: a nice 4K video transfer but not quite amazing or worthy of an upgrade.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
(2013)
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Lionsgate | PG13 – 146 min. – $22.99 | November 8, 2016
Date Published: 11/08/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 4.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen (JENNIFER LAWRENCE) and fellow tribute Peeta (JOSH HUTCHERSON) have returned home after surviving the Hunger Games. Winning means they must leave loved ones behind and embark on a Victory Tour through the districts. Along the way, Katniss senses a rebellion simmering – one that she and Peeta may have sparked. At the end of the tour, President Snow (DONALD SUTHERLAND) announces a deadly 75th Hunger Games that could change Panem forever. Quick Hit Review: Easily my favorite of the four films, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has it all: adventure, suspense, great character development and a cohesive yet tight script. I was hooked in particularly once the ensemble cast gets locked in the Arena. This sequel is a good improvement over its predecessor; sadly the last two films don’t exactly take advantage… |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. Inside is the original Blu-ray Copy and a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Although some of the features were ported over, it’d been nice if others from the 4-movie collection were included… Audio Commentary – Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson Surviving the Game: Making The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2:24:55; HD) is a lengthy documentary outlying how the sequel was made providing behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew. Deleted Scenes (4:35; HD) – There are a few scenes left on the cutting room floor, but nothing especially noteworthy and given the movie already was closing in on 2:30 hours, the pacing needed to be picked up. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| The Hunger Games: Catching Fire arrives on the new(ish) 4K UHD format presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 2160p ultra-high definition transfer (HEVC codec). As with its predecessor, this 4K treatment looks great and all yet I can’t say it’s a significant improvement. Having said that, detail is still sharp and colors have a nice pop to them, even with the darker tone with the dystopian future landscape. There were no major signs of artifacts, aliasing or other flaws so it does at least look nice on the big small screen. |
AUDIO – 5.0/5 |
| The disc comes with a strong and nicely robust Dolby Atmos track (outputs TrueHD 7.1 for older systems) and it’s an OK improvement over the Blu-ray’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 track. This one features a bit more depth and includes clean dialogue levels but when the action picks up, so does this track, the LFE kicking in for extra measure and each and every channel being utilized to its fullest extent. (Copied from The Hunger Games UHD review) |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is heads and shoulders above the first movie which in itself was entertaining. This is a strong and tighter film in terms of story. The UHD release by Lionsgate is more or less the same as its predecessor: a nice 4K video transfer but not quite amazing or worthy of an upgrade. |