The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the second installment in The Hunger Games franchise, written by Suzanne Collins. Catching Fire picks up a year after the events of the first film, where Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games, which has sparked a rebellion in the Districts of Panam. They are forced to embark on a “Victory Tour” of the districts to celebrate their win. But both are soon forced back into the arena with past winners for the 75th Hunger Games, where survival is even harder the second time around.
The movie focuses on the Quarter Quell, an event that takes place every 25 years, where they bring back past winners to the games. All this is just an excuse for President Snow (Donald Sutherland) to get rid of Katniss, who he feels has started a new rebellion and must be stopped. He can’t outright kill her, so he and his new Games Master, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), have come up with the plan to have her killed in the games, showing the world that she isn’t as strong as the rebellion thought her to be. But Katniss just keeps growing stronger and more definitive with every move President Snow makes, making her become the thing he fears most.
It can be said that a lot of this movie can be compared to the first one. The general plot is about the journey of Katniss from her poor starving district to the climactic games of humans hunting humans, doing all she can to survive. But where the first movie’s story was just the games, this second film needed to expand on what the games mean, and how Katniss has become the face of the rebellion.
Much has shifted behind the camera, and the movie has become better for it. Taking on a new director, Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), the studio, having complete faith in Lawrence’s directing, nearly doubled the budget and pretty much gave him whatever he felt the movie needed. And it shows, he has crafted a compelling story, staying true to the book and adding just a few things here and there that overall make the movie better. He clearly had a vision and everyone brought their “A-Game” to make that possible. Lawrence has a much better understanding of the source material than previous director Gary Ross, so much that Lawrence will be back for Mockingjay parts 1 and 2. Having someone at the helm that believes in the project so much just adds to how good the movie will be.
When Katness and Peeta are trotted out on the victory tour, to distract the masses with the tabloid romance, the act doesn’t go as President Snow intended. Katness sees glimpses of protesters being beaten or killed for speaking out against the Capital. She unknowingly started something and doesn’t know what to do next. A less talented actress would not have been able to convey the emotions that Jennifer Lawrence does in each scene. There is a reason why she won the Best Actress Oscar last year: she is truly amazing to watch. She is a strong female role model that will do anything to stay alive and protect what’s hers. Lawrence communicates so much with just her eyes and body language. You understand her character with everything she says and does. She is brilliant in the role and should be nominated again next year. She’s that good.
Not to be forgotten is the rest of the cast, who are equally amazing. But Jennifer Lawrence is the main character, so everyone else is really trying to get himself or herself to her level in the film. Which everyone does. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth both bring a real sadness to their characters, both being in love with a woman who loves them in her own way, but just doesn’t have time for that. Both guys are great with her in their scenes, but it’s the Katniss/Peeta scenes that are the best. They have an unspoken love and friendship between the two, which is best shown during the games themselves. They need each other and they both know it.
Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravits, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland are all great, but you already know that. They each bring something to the table, which makes them all fantastic. Sutherland is so evil you just want to punch him though the screen every time he says something. Sometimes it’s hard for new characters to enter a movie series that everyone else is already established in, but newcomers Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Lynn Cohen, Amanda Plummer, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Sam Claflin all come in with a bang. No matter how small or large their part is, they made you remember each and every one of them. One of the main reasons these movies work as well as they do is that they get good actors. Unlike some other young adult adaptations, the filmmakers here wanted to make a good movie first and profit second, so they got talent and not just pretty faces.
The special effects are bigger and better this time around. A bigger budget helps to make things look more real and polished. Every environment the characters find themselves in look extremely real. Every little detail shown just adds so much to the movie. The fire effects on Peeta and Katness’s outfits this time are beautiful and look genuine, whereas before they looked a little TV. But what stood out was all the make-up and costumes. Whoever is behind the costumes and creating the look of the movie needs to win an Oscar. They are beautiful and each actor looks incredible. But nothing beats when Katness spins out of her wedding dress to reveal the Mockingjay inspired dress. Although clearly enhanced by CGI, it looks so stunningly good Jennifer Lawrence makes it work so that you just don’t care. So much detail, time, and talent were put into every aspect of the movie.
Catching Fire is brilliant and works on several different levels. Fans of the book should be pleased, and people who have never read the books will be blown away. The movie deals with some dark subject matter–life and death situations–but manages to find a beauty within that makes it stand out. It’s better than the first one and starts you on the next level of Katness’s journey as she finally knows what she needs to do. Her spark has been ignited and I can’t wait to see what happens next.