The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

With a best-selling book trilogy and an Oscar winning star in Jennifer Lawrence backing it up, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was always guaranteed to do well but after the muddled mess that was the original, there was no guarantee that Hunger Games 2.0 would be much better. And while a quick summary of the plot may convince some that this story is just a rehash, such fears ultimately prove to be unfounded. Catching Fire is a satisfying experience that lives up to much of the hype.

Not exactly the most original of movie universes, the first Hunger Games come off as very derivative of its various inspirations (there’s a little bit of Twilight and Harry Potter and lots of Battle Royale) but the sequel succeeds in giving more depth and heft to that universe.  Finding ourselves in the dreary locale of District 12, we rejoin Katniss (Lawrence) approximately a year after the events of the original Hunger Games. Residing in the district’s Victors’ Village with her family, Katniss has rekindled her friendship/relationship/whatever with childhood friend Gale (Hemsworth) while also keeping up the pretense of her fairytale romance with Peeta (Hutcherson). Or is it pretense after all?? And more to the point, who really cares? As was the case with the first film, the romance aspect isn’t exactly the highlight here and the acting of both Josh Hutcherson and (especially) Liam Hemsworth is cringeworthy at times (Gale’s occasional use of the pet name of “Katnip” for Katniss is especially forced and awkward). Anyways, back to the actual story. Finding Katniss dangerous and unruly, Snow is desperate for the opportunity to destroy her.  And with the fast approaching 75^th anniversary of the Hunger Games providing Snow the perfect opportunity to dispose of her, Katniss’s worst fears quickly become a terrible reality.

And this is where the movie becomes truly engaging. Pitched as a cat and mouse battle between tyrannical President Snow (Sutherland) and the masses represented by Katniss’s resilience and smouldering defiance, this battle is the clear strong point of Catching Fire. With the districts long abused and downtrodden by the Capitol’s sadistic regime, trouble has been fermenting and Snow can see signs of discontent everywhere. Throw in the Capitol’s totalitarian police force and excess-indulging elites and you have the ingredients of a sure-fire revolution in the making. Where life was once a miserable and meagre existence for many of Panem’s citizens, hope has sprung back to life and Katniss, “The Girl on Fire”, is the symbol of that hope.  But every revolution requires a spark to finally set it off and the feeling of inevitability that the unwilling Katniss will be that first spark hangs heavy over proceedings.

As reluctant a hero as one could possibly be, Katniss is overwhelmed in every aspect of her life. Unsure of her feelings for either Gale or Peeta and uncertain about whether she has the capability or desire to lead a revolution, she is also plagued by nightmares from the traumatic experience of her first games. Expected to lie and deceive and play the part as Snow’s propaganda puppet for the rest of her life, Katniss finds herself in an untenable situation when the safety of her loved ones becomes dependent on her compliance. But the fact that her strength emerges through all of this nonetheless is what makes her character so appealing. Katniss is truly a great character in this series and in what is a rarity in Hollywood, a great female character to boot. Lawrence gives Katniss a depth, maturity and believability that is actually very lacking in the character’s counterpart from the source material.

Continuing a trend witnessed in recent years in major blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel, Catching Fire is remarkably bleak and depressing for a massive Hollywood mainstream film. Even with a PG-13 rating, the violence on display is frequent and intermittently shocking. And because it takes so long to get into the arena of the Games, it’s easy to think that Catching Fire would be a boring dud but that’s where one would be mistaken. While wholesale killing and mayhem excites this writer as much as the next person, the Games aren’t simply about pitting a group of youngsters against each other in a battle to the death anymore. This time, it’s an arena of political manipulation that is just one piece in the puzzle of the brewing battle for control of Panem. We get a good glimpse at what’s at stake and the first hour and a half builds up well to a final act that brings some much needed action and excitement.

Not everything works as well, however. The movie is at its worst when it forces dialogue and awkward characterization depending on the needs of the screenplay. Cinna, Katniss’s stylist and pseudo-personal life coach, is a perfect example of this but is mercifully not in the movie very much. But while some of the dialogue and acting is generally bad and unnatural, at least there are some slightly more interesting characters at this go around. Respected actors such as Jeffrey Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman also pop up and lend the film credibility in the supporting character department that was previously sorely lacking.

Verdict: While this second installment of the Hunger Games series isn’t the greatest cinematic achievement, the fact remains that this film delivers as an entertaining blockbuster. The film manages to meld many interesting themes with lots of explosive action and despite the lengthy runtime, it leaves you begging for more once it’s over.

B

Trailer:

Movie info:

Runtime: 146 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson

Director: Francis Lawrence

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt

Cinematography: Jo Willems