It’s 2013. You’re sitting in a theater watching Katniss’s iconic Mockingjay dress scene, the tributes holding hands at that powerful scene when they’re doing their interviews. Your jaw drops when Peeta says, “…because of the baby.” 

Characters like Finnick and Joanna. Stories that grip at your heartstrings. You’re thrown back into the world of “The Hunger Games.”

This November will mark ten years since “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” debuted in theaters. Often regarded as one of the best book-to-screen adaptations, this film came out at the height of the dystopian genre’s popularity. Some say that Susanne Collins is responsible for the genre’s boost in popularity. 

“The Hunger Games” is a dystopian series where two candidates from each of Panem’s — a dystopian society of North America — twelve districts compete against each other in a fight-to-the-death competition to entertain their leaders at the Capitol. 

“Catching Fire” is the second book in the trilogy, which follows Katniss and Peeta as they are forced to reenter the Hunger Games at the 75th Games — also known as the Quarter Quell. The Quarter Quell is a special edition of the games where previous winning tributes are reaped for the games, meaning the sole female survivor from District 12 — Katniss — will automatically go back in. 

Collins’ series tackles many themes commonly associated with the dystopian genre. These include poverty, hunger, survival, inequality between rich and poor and governmental control.

The movie version is pretty well done as far as book-to-movie adaptations go. It hits the emotional and visual points of the book, and really brings the pages to life — especially with the costuming.

The world of “The Hunger Games” is very complex and difficult to bring to the screen. Having a visual representation of the dystopian aspects adds to the experience. The tributes’ outfits for their interviews with Caesar remain some of the coolest costumes I’ve seen in a movie. 

The ability to showcase the tributes’ districts and personalities in the wardrobe from book descriptions is quite an impressive feat. I think that’s one of the best parts of “Catching Fire” — how beautifully the details were translated from the book to the screen.

The actors all did a commendable job of portraying the characters we know and love. Everyone gave a chilling performance that made it feel real and pulled the audience in. 

It’s hard to believe this movie came out ten years ago. The topics are still relevant, which makes the movie that much more impactful. Stories like this make the audience feel something — we reflect on the real world based on this fictional setting. 

There’s something that is special about this movie. The fact that a lot of it is still relevant — not to mention just a jarring story — is haunting. You’re on the edge of your seat the entire time. Even if you’ve read the books, you’re still immersed in the story.