When you’ve set your mind on collecting all the entries in a particular movie franchise, consistency is very desirable. Fans who previously purchased SteelBook Blu-ray editions of ‘The Hunger Games’ a couple years ago will be glad to know that its sequel, ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, will also get the metal case treatment this year, in a couple of different options.
In Case You Missed Them…
As a refresher, Future Shop in Canada released two different SteelBook art designs for the first ‘Hunger Games’ back in 2012. Both were nicely designed and attractive:
I prefer the “District 12” artwork, personally. (That blue banner is part of the removable cardboard backer.) However, when my friend in Canada who buys Future Shop exclusives for me (because Future Shop won’t ship outside of Canada) couldn’t initially find that one in stores, he picked up the “Mockingjay” case instead as a concession. Later, he came across the District 12 case after all and grabbed that as well. So, I wound up with both copies. I suppose that I could have sold one, but I decided to just keep them.
Although these cases are now long out of print, I bring this up to show how the SteelBook options for ‘Catching Fire’ compare and will look next to them on a shelf.
UK
Available at: Amazon UK
Release date: March 17, 2014
Price: £21.00
Region code: Listed as Region B
We’ll start overseas, where the UK will get a new case that looks extremely similar to the Mockingjay art for the first movie. I can’t help but be disappointed by this.
Yeah, the text layout is different and the bird emblem also looks a little different, but the two designs are more alike than not.
If you don’t already own that older case, this probably won’t bother you so much. Judged on its own, it’s pretty classy.
North America
Available at: Best Buy (United States), Future Shop (Canada)
Release date: March 7, 2014
Price: $29.99 (both USD and CAD)
Region code: Both the United States and Canada are Region A
On this side of the Pond, Future Shop in Canada and Best Buy in the U.S. will share distribution of this different SteelBook artwork:
Frankly, I don’t love this design. It’s kind of generic. Even so, I’m likely to favor this one simply for the fact that it looks different than either of the cases I already have. Also, the disc inside will definitely be Region A compatible.
One Lasts Thing
If you weren’t fortunate enough to buy either of the SteelBooks for the first ‘Hunger Games’ before they went out of print, Best Buy will also offer this new SteelBook simultaneously with the sequel.
It looks OK, but I’ll just stick with what I have.
Drew
I also ended up with both Future Shop steels. Despite that fact, I’m going to pickup both new ‘Catching Fire’ steels, as well as that new ‘Hunger Games’ one. I love all of them, with the exception the new Best Buy ‘Catching Fire’.
Chris
Great looking cases…too bad the movies are a watered down re-working of Battle Royale. I couldn’t even make it through the first one.
Drew
Chris,
Well, then you have absolutely no basis to say such a thing. Sure, obviously there are similarities, but the second film had far less in common with ‘Battle Royale’ than the first one. And the third and fourth films will share almost nothing at all with ‘BR’.
Chris
I just disagree Drew, I’m sure we could get into a long winded debate over this, but why waste the energy? I simply thought the first Hunger Games was a laughably bad movie, and thus never bothered to watch the second one.
Drew
Well, Chris, you’re certainly in the minority. That’s gotta say something, right?
Chris
Um I suppose, “the majority of the movie-going public enjoy The Hunger Games” that’s what it says. Justin Bieber is also the biggest pop star in the world but I’m not a fan of him either, guess that puts me in the minority again…doesn’t it?
Drew
No, he absolutely is not! Not even close! He’s the biggest pop star in the world, for girls, aged 12 -20 years. He’s not critically successful. And there are much bigger pop stars, that are both commercially and critically more successful than him.
On the other hand, The Hunger Games franchise is extremely critically successful. ‘Catching Fire’ was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2013. I could care less about what the general movie going public thinks. However, when 90+% of professionals in the industry believe that a film is great, I’m going to be very careful about calling it “laughably bad.” And I would certainly understand that I might just be wrong about it, if I felt that way.
Josh Zyber
AuthorWhile I liked the first Hunger Games movie, I do have to conceded that it had some parts that were laughably bad. For example, the ridiculous, completely unnecessary shaky-cam; the frequently terrible CGI; the overdone campiness of Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and other characters from the big city.
Drew
Josh,
You’re right about the shaky-cam and CGI. However, you couldn’t be more wrong about Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, and other capital characters. They absolutely nailed the look, feel, and tone of the characters they were based on, from the novels. They couldn’t have been better.
With that said, the second film was a gigantic step up, in all aspects. No shaky-cam, CGI is spot on, and Elizabeth Banks is the emotional rock of the picture. I’m well aware that that’s difficult to imagine, but it’s true.
Josh Zyber
AuthorI get that those characters were meant to be satirical in the novel. However, as it played out in live action, they were too cartoony and jarred with the tone of the rest of the movie.
Chris
This is such a ridiculous conversation but o.k. here we go…
First of all, 90% of critics don’t believe the movies are great, neither of them have a 90% or more approval rating on either RT or Metacritic so I don’t know where you are getting your numbers.
Secondly,
My point with the mention of Justin Bieber was simply: popularity does not always equal quality, hell look no further than the Twilight franchise for more proof.
Thirdly,
I mentioned in my original post I had not viewed the second movie, I saw about an hour of the first one and could go no further because it is (in my opinion) a BAD movie. And why should someone have to be careful about calling a movie/musician/video game etc. good or bad? People are allowed to like or dislike whatever they want regardless if it goes along with the majority. Josh is a perfect example of this, he loves Dune and loathes Forrest Gump. I may not agree with his opinions, but I respect his right to have (and voice) them.
So bottom line? I didn’t like the movie, you however, are free to love it as much as you like. Now let’s move on with life…k?
P.S. sorry for turning your post into negative-town Josh…
Drew
Chris,
You’re wrong again. The second film does have a 90% critical approval. The first film topped out at 84%.
Your Bieber point was pointless — pun intended — because I never said anything about popularity. The Hunger Games franchise is critically successful (84% is still very critically successful). Popularity doesn’t mean anything to anyone, when it comes to quality.
Your comments about not even watching the entire first film prove that any remarks that you make about the franchise hold no water. That was my point all along. I’m not sure how you missed that. If you didn’t even see it, you can’t say that it’s bad, and that it’s nothing more than a ‘BR’ knockoff, because — again — you didn’t even see it.
Chris
We get it Drew, you love The Hunger Games, geez do you throw a hissy fit every single time someone insults a movie you like?
Drew
Chris,
You know what they say about people who make assumptions, right? You shouldn’t just assume that I love it.
You’re wrong again. I don’t love them. I’m a decent fan of the franchise. Not huge.
As for the hissy fit? Well, I think you need to look in the mirror. You’re the only one that exhibited any kind of juvenile behavior, and started getting offended by simple facts. I was merely attempting to make sure you didn’t think you could just come in and spout off misleading information. I was pretty unaffected, the entire time.
Drew
You’re original statement was “…the movies are a watered down re-working of Battle Royale.”
You said “movies” — plural. You said that without having even seen the entire first film, let alone any of the subsequent offerings. Therefore, I simply wanted to ensure that you didn’t just come into the blog post comments, and start making misleading and inaccurate statements. I’m very sorry that it led to you having a hissy fit. That was never my intention.
Chris
*is too busy having the mother-of-all hissy fits to respond to Drew’s comment regarding aftermentioned hissy fit*
P.S. hissy fit
Drew
Hahaha! I like that one. You should have started off that way. It’s much more flattering.
Laverne Cardone
I love the Hunger games movies and this is one of my favorite! I will have to get this movie this week when it comes out and add it to my collection!