2012’s blockbuster film, adapted from the blockbuster book, “The Hunger Games”, grossed over $400 million and ignited the career of star Jennifer Lawrence. Now an Oscar winner (and a nominee again this year for her performance in David O. Russell’s period crime drama “American Hustle”), Lawrence is “on fire” in Hollywood right now. And she’s back as Katniss Everdeen in the eagerly-awaited second installment of the “THG” series – “Catching Fire”, which is a marked improvement from the original.
The film picks-up right where the first one left off: After winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss thought she and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) were done fighting for their lives in the arena, a victory that cost gamemaker Seneca Crane his life. But after a doom-and-gloom “Victory Tour” around the Districts in celebration of their win, evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) announces that the 75th Games (a.k.a. the Third “Quarter Quell” – held every 25 years) will be comprised of past winners battling to the death. Basically, what we have is an edition of “Survivor: All-Stars”. So Katniss leaves boyfriend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and joins Peeta once again to battle 22 other competitors in a different type of games, one that’s much more physically demanding, with a series of challenges created by new gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).
However, unlike with the first film, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” isn’t really about the Games themselves. This is more of a character-driven story which focuses on relationships, not killing and gore. The commoners, who are barely existing in their poor conditions, are fed-up with the Hunger Games, and President Snow’s administration, and there are rumblings of a revolution. But they’re still powerless, and standing-up for themselves will only get them beaten – or worse. Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta’s mentor (again played by Woody Harrelson) encourages the pair to be symbols of hope for the people both in and out of the arena, but this is easier said than done, especially since only one of them will be alive at the end of the competition.
The entire cast, most notably Elizabeth Banks’ style guru Effie, brings more emotion to their roles this time thanks to a much stronger script. New director Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer, and best known for Will Smith’s “I Am Legend”) makes some smart decisions, including keeping coverage of the Games to a minimum, amping-up the visuals, and adding some nice touches that can only be experienced on screen.
I read Catching Fire about a year ago, but forgot some of the details and a few of the twists, so I was surprised at times. The role of Heavensbee is expanded in this screen version, and thankfully, Stanley Tucci’s great over-the-top talk-show host parody Ceasar Flickerman is back. All of the performances are strong, highlighted by Lawrence, who shines in several scenes, and Jeffrey Wright (“Boardwalk Empire”), new to the cast as one of the tributes.
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” does get overly dramatic and forceful at times with the symbolism and foreshadowing, which is common with these book series adaptations. And, like its predecessor, it takes a little while for things to get going. The script does stick very closely to the book, which helped prove something that I already knew: that reading a book before seeing the film version spoils much of the excitement and suspense and hurts the overall viewing experience (at least for me).
“Catching Fire” is rated PG-13 for some intense action/violence, language, disturbing images and a brief suggestive scene. Fans of the series, and even those who just want to experience what all the hype is about this time around, shouldn’t be disappointed. Obviously, seeing “The Hunger Games” first will help newcomers, but this movie can stand on its own as a solid sci-fi/political/adventure film and not simply an action movie.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” gets a B.