THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A -
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins
Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael DeBruyn
Directed by Francis Lawrence

Picking up where The Hunger Games left off,  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return home to District 12 to as victors, hoping to try to resume their lives. But of course their lives will never be the same: they have fast death, and they have killed. They have also become the hottest celebrity couple since "J-ffleck" or "Brangelina"  (Peeniss?)

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and explains that her actions in the Games have inspired rebellions across the districts. He orders her to use the upcoming victory tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol.

As the tour begins, Haymtich (Woody Harrelson), mentor to Katniss and Peeta, warns them that the "show" of their relationship must continue for the rest of their lives. Katniss suggests a public engagement between herself and Peeta, which is carried out and congratulated by Snow at his mansion in the Capitol.
Returning home, Katniss warns her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) of Snow's threat to kill both their families. Peacekeepers crack down on District 12 and Gale is publicly whipped after attacking new Head Peacekeeper. Snow announces a special Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, where all tributes will be selected from previous victors. Katniss immediately devotes herself to ensuring Peeta survives, recruiting Haymitch's help to do so. At the reaping, the names drawn for District 12 are Katniss and Haymitch,  but Peeta immediately volunteers to take Haymitch's place.

At this point in the book I felt that Collins fell back too much into familiar territory and it just became Die Hard 2, but somehow director Frances Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants) manages to make it feel fresh. While it is the political jockeying and the growing threat of the increasingly frightening Capitol in the first half that really grabbed me, the Quarter Quell is a thrilling and spectacular non stop action ride. It certainly helps that the visual effects budget has gone up considerably since the last movie (the "Girl on Fire" actually looks like she is on fire this time), but Lawrence seems more at home helming an action blockbuster than Gary Ross, who directed the first film, and this film is allowed to take it's time to further develop the the characters.

Lawrence is terrific as usual, letting her new found superstar status coming off her Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook work in her favor as Katniss becomes a larger than life figure; she is part pop idol and part political great white hope, and the stress of this position weighs on her heavily. Josh Hutcherson continues to bring a subtle sincerity mixed with stage smart charm to Peeta, who is living his dream  but knows it isn't real, and is both elated and dying inside. Hutcherson is not given the credit he deserves as an actor, partially because he is surrounded by such a stellar cast in these films, but if you look at his ability to carry big movies from a young age (opposite far less talented co-stars such as Kristin Stewart and Dwayne Johnson) not the mention actually making Red Dawn watchable, it's really time to give this kid some credit. But the real standouts are, once again, Harrelson, who never ceases to amaze, and Jena Malone as rival tribute Johanna Mason. Phillip Seymour Hoffman seems a bit underused as the gamemaker, Plutarch, but his role will only increase in the next two films, and he adds a lot in what little we do see. In truth, the only drawback to such an impressible ensemble of actors is that this time around it is even more apparent that Lenny Kravitz just doesn't belong among them, and while he's not terrible by any means, he seems more than a bit self conscious this time around to be surrounded by such polished thespians.

The Hunger Games series is really coming into it's own as a blockbuster franchise, and while it may not be Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter, it certainly succeeds at knocking Twilight on it's sparkling white butt.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and  sensuality.