Katniss Everdeen is back for the second installment of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, and this time she’s angrier and more broken than ever. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson reprise their roles as Katniss and Peeta, the battle-worn lovers. After their victory, an uprising has begun in the districts and Katniss is the staple for it. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) demands silence in the districts and forms a plan with new head gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), to have a quarter quell and put past victors from each district up against each other in hopes of eradicating the victor's species.
Catching Fire takes all that was great (and not so great) about the first film, and capitalizes on it. While structurally it is fairly similar to its predecessor, the scope in Catching Fire is much larger, and much grittier. Francis Lawrence’s direction is smooth, with hardly any exposition. It follows the source material quite closely, despite a few missteps that always plague book-to-movie adaptations.
The film’s budget was almost twice as much as the original, and it shows. This is essentially The Dark Knight of this series, repairing anything that was wrong with the first, and making a tighter, better film. Just as the second book was the strongest of the three, the second film is easily the stronger of the two films so far. The camera work is less shaky, and the entire scope feels epic. For a film that runs nearly two and half hours, it’s done in a flash. With heart-stopping actions, and leaner more exciting subplots, Catching Fire soars.
There great performances all around, from Lawrence to Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson, just as expected. Elizabeth Banks gets more screen time as well as the prima donna Effie, and we see some real personality and growth with her character. It’s an unexpected turn for Banks as an actress. Even more so than the first. Jennifer Lawrence is of course electrifying as the girl on fire, especially in the final moments of the film that leave the audience practically begging for more.
Overall Catching Fire is a rare sequel that exceeds everything about the first. Exceptional action and special effects, tight camera work and a very close representation to the source material shows that The Hunger Games is much more than just a tent-pole film. Fantastic performances, and solid direction solidify Catching Fire as the best so far in the series. I give Catching Fire 4.5 stars out of 5.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate