With the Harry Potter and Twilight film series finished, The Hunger Games is now bringing in the audiences for the young adult literature genre. The first Hunger Games movie did a good job setting up the characters and story for the inevitable sequels, though it was not without its criticisms, ranging from comparisons to other dystopian stories to the shaky camera.
Some were worried about how the adaptation of the second installment would go, especially since they changed directors. While Seabiscuit’s Gary Ross directed the first movie, I am Legend’s Francis Lawrence takes his shot in not only this, but the upcoming two-part Mockingjay finale (another book adaptation divided into two parts, thanks Harry Potter). Does Catching Fire turn up the heat, or should this series burn out?
I would like to note that I did not read the books. I will be judging the movie by what it presents without comparing it to the source material.
Months after winning the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are forced to go on the Victory Tour and deliver speeches to all the districts to prevent further rebellion. Katniss has been viewed as a symbol by the districts to overthrow the Capitol. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go so well and security starts taking drastic measures around District 12. Katniss keeps having nightmares about the previous Hunger Games she made it out of, and unfortunately it doesn’t help when President Snow announced that the 75th Annual Hunger Games is a Quarter Quell, meaning that the only tributes that can be selected are victors from the previous games. Now Katniss and Peeta must make new allies in the games as they try to remember who the real enemy is.
This time around, they did a better job exploring the themes of the oppressed society in a utopia. The first one felt more like an introduction to these elements, and they feel more fleshed out here. Katniss is under even more pressure than she was in the first film, where all she had to do was survive. In this movie, not only does she have to survive, but she has to deal with the traumatizing emotions she received from the first games while remaining a symbol of hope for the districts and trying not to show her rebellious side so the Capitol won’t kill her loved ones.
For those worried about the love triangle from the first film, it’s less than abundant here. Katniss and Peeta are completely aware that they aren’t lovers but have to pretend in order to prevent further rebellion and deaths in the districts. Gale plays a more prominent role than the first one, but thankfully his jealousy is quickly glanced over. Even Katniss’ sister has grown braver after seeing her sister’s sacrifice, and it’s just great to see characters like these develop.
The main criticism comes in the form of the plot’s organization. The first film started by exploring the dystopian elements of the district, the announcement of the tributes for the Hunger Games, training, and then the Game itself. Here, it’s almost the exact same organization. A criticism of the first one is how long it took to get to the games. It’s even longer here, so those interested in seeing as much action as the first one might be disappointed. I did like seeing more of the story telling aspects, but it was disappointing to not see as much action during the games.
Jennifer Lawrence does a great job as Katniss; she had a lot more to work with, and she brought it. The other actors also do great with their roles expanded from the first film, and Woody Harrelson continues to be my favorite character as Haymitch. The two notable additions in this installment are Sam Clafin as Finnick and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the new Gamemaker, Plutarch. They do a great job in their roles and add more unpredictability to the situations regarding who Katniss can trust.
While the games themselves aren’t as much of a highlight as in the first film, they offer a wide variety of interesting traps set up in an elaborate way. It keeps the audience guessing on what’s going to happen or how the tributes are going to solve certain issues. While the deaths may be fewer than the original, the deaths do leave an impression on the audience. It felt more like the course was trying to kill the tributes than the tributes killing themselves, a possible foreshadowing, perhaps?
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a great sequel, it makes the first film look just okay in comparison. The character development, dystopian exploration, and elaborate game set up make it very entertaining, and I have to give credit to the new director for avoiding the problems that plagued the original. It might displease some audiences with the same plot structure as the first and how it drags in some areas more than others, but Catching Fire serves as a good sequel to the original and a big setup for the two part finale. By the way, how is President Snow’s “They’re holding hands. I want them dead” not a meme?
