Review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) by Eric F — 13 Aug 2014

I've never read any of the books in Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy (yet), but I can say that the film series has left quite the impression on me so far.

In "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", we see our lead protagonist's life do exactly that: after surviving the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is a nervous wreck, expecting at any moment for enemies to jump out at her even in the safety of her own home; however her paranoia is not in vain. When President Snow (essentially king of Panem) shows up in Katniss' house to inform her that her 'showmance' with Peeta Mellark doesn't fool him and that she and Peeta must wear their relationship like shackles for the rest of their lives in order to insure that their loved ones stay safe. Unfortunately, Snow does not intend for that to be the end -- seeking to make an example of Katniss to all those that may try to rebel -- and thus, he hires Plutarch Heavensbee as gamemaker and his adviser in this ordeal. Heavensbee's reform goes hand-in-hand with the special 75th Hunger Games, in which tributes are reaped from existing winners -- thus putting Katniss (as the only female tribute from District 12 to ever win) back in the saddle again, this time with experienced killers, but most mysteriously: many of them seem to genuinely want to be her ally.

The story here is even better than in the first film, as it exploits even more loudly the sheer sadism of the Games (and Panem at large). It also delves deeper into President Snow as a character; and unlike the dystopian theme of the first film, this one has a them of revolution.

Performances by returning cast members are as heady as ever, safe for Liam Hemsworth who (by default of his character having more to do this time around) makes a much bigger splash in his reprisal of Gale Hawthorne, and newcomers Amanda Plummer, Sam Claflin, and Jeffret Wright make us feel welcome even in the face of much greater enemies. Greatest of all the performances however, are Jena Malone as the smart-mouthed Johanna Mason and Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final roles as the deeply mysterious, Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Catching Fire" packs a lot of the same punch that the first film did, but this one's a little bit sleeker around the edges, and everything that was good about the first film seems to grow even more powerful in this sequel. Francis Lawrence takes over the director's chair with mostly predictable results, making the second outing in "The Hunger Games" film series even more entrancing than the last -- and I expect much of the same, if not even better from the upcoming, "Mockingjay: Part 1".