Happy Hunger Games week: Reviews look good.

At long last, the highly anticipated follow up to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, is opening in a matter of days. Feel that? That's excitement, and it's palpable amongst the Hunger Games fans, including me. First of all, I love the Suzanne Collins books, but even more so? I love Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss Everdeen on film. It's wonderful and refreshing to see such a strong, young female character in YA movies and you've sure got one in Katniss. Hooray!

Now, let's discuss: Has anyone else been a bit worried that maybe The Hunger Games: Catching Fire wouldn't quite live up to the first film? I'll admit that I have, mainly because the first movie was just done perfectly, in my opinion. The only thing that kept me from being completely anxious was knowing that the source material, Collins' second book, Catching Fire, was rock solid. And I'll admit, I am eager to see director Francis Lawrence's take on all of this (I thought Gary Ross did a great job with 2012's Hunger Games).

As of right now, after reading through several major film critics' reviews, I feel really good in saying that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire should be a fantastic follow-up to Hunger Games, and one worthy of fan admiration. Everything's been set up perfectly for film number two in this trilogy - it's just a matter of whether Lawrence and company can hit it out of the park.

Take a glance at The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Rotten Tomatoes, and you'll see it: At this moment, the movie has an extremely impressive 96 percent on RT's Tomatometer - more than enough to certify it fresh. Unless several new heavy hitting critics come out this week saying the movie stinks, Catching Fire is apt to keep a high rating. This is one time I truly hope I agree with the majority of these critics.

Here's a question for my fellow Hunger Games fans: Does it even matter what the reviews are for Catching Fire? Do you care? It's rare that I can say I'll see a movie regardless of bad (or in this case, great) reviews, but I'm making an exception for this blockbuster. I'll be there, spending all my money on a large popcorn, a diet soda and I might even grab some Twizzlers for good measure. I can't wait!

Photo courtesy of CBSNews.com