After leaving the theater for the first film, “The Hunger Games,” a year and a half ago, I thought to myself, “Well that was a great movie.  Will ‘Catching Fire’ be able to surpass it?”’ And folks, after seeing the sequel, the answer to that question is yes.

 

“Catching Fire,” based on bestselling novel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, picks up where we last left off in the previous film; Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are the winners of the 74th Hunger Games and are back in District 12.  The film opens with Katniss hunting.  While hunting, director Francis Lawrence (“Constantine,” “I Am Legend”) grants us access inside the mind of Katniss, and we see how the Games have further distorted her perception.  She endures painful flashbacks of killing tributes (children in the games) while she hunts for food.  Unknowingly to Katniss, but ever so enlightened are those who saw the first film, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is not jubilant towards her and Peeta’s little stunt performed in the Games.  Snow decides to travel all the way from his elegant home in the Capitol to the shanty town, straight out of Call of Duty, that is District 12.  Here he enlightens Katniss that small rebellions have been igniting in the Districts and if she does not convince him and the world (well the 12 Districts that is) that she and Peeta are in love, he will obliterate whoever he needs to put an end to the uprisings.  To add to this, he announces a Quarter Quell, which is another Hunger Games that Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete in....again.

 

The film includes an impressive cast; many originating from the first installment, but some new blood is incorporated, and well casted I might add.  Woody Harrelson is back playing the likable drunk, Haymitch Abernathy, mentor to Katniss and Peeta.  Other recurring characters include Elizabeth Banks, as the spirited Effie Trinket, Liam Hemsworth, as Gale Hawthorne, Katniss’ complex love affair, Lenny Kravitz, as the fashionable Cinna, and Stanley Tucci, as the charismatic spokesperson, Caesar Flickerman.  New to “Catching Fire” is Philip Seymour Hoffman, portraying the character, Plutarch, in his signature “dry” style, which always seems to work for him and the Academy (three nominations and a win).  Along with him are Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, and Jena Malone, who play Beetee Latier, Finick Odair, and Johanna Mason respectively.

 

Swift style and tense pacing make this film a pleasure to watch.  Much of this credit can be given to cinematographer, Joe Willems.  Battles and banquets look especially stunning thanks to Willems as well as to Trish Summerville, who brings Suzanne Collins sumptuous costumes to life.  Prepare to fight with fierce competitors and dance with Katniss, all without moving a muscle (except to grab some popcorn).  It is that enthralling.

 

Areas of “Catching Fire” can be predictable at times (but don’t they have to be?  There’s another book, and inevitably more sequels).  Nonetheless, this is downplayed by everything that is exciting and prodigious in this treasure.

 

This film also plays off what “The Hunger Games” did so well, character development.  After the first movie, I felt linked with the characters.  Was it due to talented acting, talented casting, a talented screenwriter, or a combination of all three?  Bullseye, it was due to all three.  Jennifer Lawrence leads this development with her electrifying performance, which everyone around her feeds off.  I felt what she felt.  I pitied the humble Peeta who wants nothing more than for Katniss to love him back.  The film will stay with you.  You will want to share emotions with these characters.

 

This is a powerful movie featuring stellar visual effects, costumes, and of course, acting, which will keep you engaged the entire time.  At nearly two and a half hours, you won’t be checking your watch.  From the beginning to the end, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is a thrill ride, leaving you asking the question for yourself, “How will ‘Mockingjay’ be able surpass this?”’

A

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Screenplay by: Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci

Running Time: 146 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images and thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language)