The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

3 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, then you will love Catching Fire. This deeper and meaner sequel is a giant improvement over the first film.

Catching Fire picks up right where The Hunger Games left off. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) tour the 12 districts of Panem after winning the 74th Hunger Games. The two must deal with the hardship of being the victors. Sure, they may be thankful to have survived the event that had children killing each other, but they must deal with PTSD sorts of night terrors and guilt. They have to face and interact with the families of the children that they killed. They have to keep up their faux romance -- or is it actually real? Most importantly, they have to comply with President Snow's (Donald Sutherland) messed up threats. All is not well. Then, things get more screwed up as the powerful heads of Capitol have something special planned for Katniss, Peeta, and other previous Hunger Games victors that will forever affect the fate of Panem and its suffering citizens.

Why is Catching Fire a much better film than its predecessor? It's a combination of stronger writing and more effective direction. While previous director Gary Ross did a fine job with The Hunger Games, Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence handles the material better. He keeps a dark, intense tone throughout and really gets into the depths of both the characters' heads and the oppressive dystopian society of Panem. He also stages the action more effectively by avoiding use of shaky cam and keeping the action clear, so that we understand spatial geography and know exactly what the characters are doing on-screen. This leads to a more accessible, epic, and vast sort of action that we are allowed to take in and enjoy. I found myself much more involved and on edge in this film, as compared to the previous film. I'm glad that Francis Lawrence is slated to direct the next two installments, for he proves that he is the perfect director for this series.

Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt's screenplay does a fantastic job of fleshing out all of the characters. In this film, *slight spoiler* almost all of the tributes of the Hunger Games are fleshed out so that we actually care about them and their fates. Some of the supporting players such as the drunk Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and the eccentric Effie (Elizabeth Banks) are given much more depth and are no longer one-note characters. And overall, we get a much deeper look into the society and politics involved with Panem. All of this amounts to a meatier, more involving story that gets your heart racing and your brain thinking.

Just as she did in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence is an absolute knockout in Catching Fire. Man does she bring her A-game to this role and elevate the material to a whole 'nother level. She holds her own against acting heavyweights such as the sinisterly creepy Donald Southerland and the delightfully quirky Stanley Tucci. She is such a tremendous actress, and if she weren't in this film, The Hunger Games series would not be nearly as successful.

Liam Hemsworth has little screen-time here but delivers a fine, understated performance that I truly appreciated. Elizabeth Banks is a blast to watch with a role that she eats up with great commitment. Newcomer Sam Claflin is sensational as the new key character, Finnick. Claflin is simultaneously charming, charismatic, and badass, becoming one of the most exciting characters in the film.

As much as I hate to say it, I still think that Josh Hutcherson is slightly miscast. (Hutcherson fan girls: please, please, please be nice/respectful and don't hate me!) I think that Hutcherson is a talented actor who delivered excellent work in The Kids Are All Right and Bridge to Terabithia, and he has improved considerably from The Hunger Games. However, he still overplays some of the subtler scenes and borders on soap-operatic acting that becomes awkward during some of the heavier dramatic scenes. Ultimately, though, Hutcherson is continuing to fine-tune his skills, and I'm sure that he will be even better in Mockingjay.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is big, bold entertainment that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end (what a cliffhanger of an ending that has me stoked for the final installments!). This isn't just a good movie based on a book. This is a good movie, period.