Every fire starts with a spark; the sequel to “The Hunger Games” was no exception, blossoming into a full-blown inferno of excellence. The film, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” is based on the bestselling book of the same name, following the character Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”) as she is once again forced to take on the Capitol to save her life and the lives of those she loves.
The film begins with a reintroduction of Everdeen and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, “Bridge to Terabithia”), the latest winners in the brutal Hunger Games, where teenagers are forced to fight to the death as a political statement. Both believe that their lives can return to a semblance of normality, but as the other people around them begin to rise in revolution, the two are put in the middle. Eventually, the government sees no other way to prevent the revolution than to force both of them to once again enter the arena and kill. Along the way, Everdeen and Mellark must make new allies as they begin to realize that the real enemy is not the other tributes, but rather the government that has made killing children into sport.
The strengths in this film are boundless. Academy Award-winner Lawrence once again brings a fantastic showing, portraying the character in the book to a tee. Out of all the amazing scenes, the one that stands out most is the closing sequence in which Everdeen has just learned devastating news. She screams and cries, but as the seconds tick by, her face hardens into that of someone who is going to continue fighting… and continue winning. Hutcherson additionally stepped up in “Catching Fire.” While in the previous film his acting did not manage to fully encapsulate Mellark’s character, this time around Hutcherson’s depiction is much improved and more sympathetic to the audience. No longer a docile kid, he steps into his role as a fighter for what he believes in.
More great acting comes from the other end of the spectrum- the characters from the Capitol. While Everdeen and Mellark come from one of the poorest districts, characters such as Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”), Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci, “The Devil Wears Prada”) and President Snow (Donald Sutherland, “The Italian Job”) come from the wealth-ridden Capitol. Trinket, the escort for the two Victors, has a magnificent turnaround in the new film. When the audience last saw her, she was naïve and upbeat, not understanding that the two children with her might die. This time around, she still holds her head high, but is beginning to understand the devastation her home has wrought. Sutherland presents a particularly chilling representation of Snow, forcing Everdeen to attempt to quell the unrest in the Districts singlehandedly.
Tucci’s depiction of Flickerman is always a delight. As the interviewer for all the tributes about to enter the Games, he is forced to watch those he speaks to die, year after year, but never allows it to faze him. Flickerman remains upbeat and hilarious, providing a much needed comedic outlet in this gut-wrenching film.
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” does everything right- the acting is impeccable, the writing absolutely stunning and very similar to the book, and the scenery beautiful and terrifying. One problem with the film is that the dialogue-centric scenes sometimes seem to run too long, but this is a choice that allows more dimensionality through character development.
Part of this film’s success could be attributed to the new director Francis Lawrence, who was able to pull all of the best parts of the book series together and represent them phenomenally on screen. After such a gut-wrenching and fascinating film, it will be exciting to see how the last two movies in the series pan out.
