It’s finally here! The second installment of ‘The Hunger Games’ series, ‘Catching Fire’, is in theatres now!
If you watched any talk shows this past week, it seemed ‘The Hunger Games’ was all anyone was talking about and the incredibly talented cast visited talk show after talk show.
‘The Hunger Games’ made its splash first as a young adult series by Suzanne Collins. Then Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson thrilled fans by embodying the series’ title characters almost perfectly.
This weekend, part two debuts and introduces some new characters such as Johanna Mason (Jena Malone), Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymoure Hoffman).
I’m happy to report that ‘The Hunger Games’ did not fall prey to what I call ‘the curse of the middle movie,’ which is simply referring to the second installment of a trilogy often being lackluster. The first movie of a series is always exciting as viewers get to know the characters and the world they live in. The last movie is typically extremely action packed, wrapping up all the loose ends but the middle movie has a tendency to lag.
‘Catching Fire’ does seem long, at a little over 2 hours, but it’s everything I wanted it to be and more. It seems all the favorite characters: Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) have fallen comfortably into their characters. In one of Jennifer Lawrence’s many interviews this week promoting the film, she said that working on Catching Fire felt like coming home, because she has formed such a strong bond with her cast mates and a real respect for her character. This chemistry and commitment to character is vital for a series of this magnitude and adds a sense of believability to this dystopian story.
If you haven’t read the books, I definitely don’t want to spoil anything for you but will give you a brief idea of what Catching Fire is all about. In the previous movie, Katniss and Peeta won the annual Hunger Games, in which children ages 12 to 18 are pitted against each other in an arena full of mutant killer animals and whatever else the Head Gamekeeper can think of to exterminate the players.
Katniss earned the respect of many with her rebellious nature in the first Games–she and her partner Peeta were the last two competitors standing. Instead of killing each other, they filled their hands with poisonous berries and planned to go out Romeo and Juliet style. The President couldn’t have the Capitol’s favorite couple die on live TV, so he ended the games and both were considered winners, something that has never happened in Game history. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) was not impressed with their antics and has threatened Katniss that she could lose everyone she loves if she doesn’t continue her fake romance.
In ‘Catching Fire’, Katniss and Peeta are asked to return to the Games in what is called a Quarter Quell—a Games in which all the competitors are former victors. Players and their districts revolt against the Capitol’s decision and a revolution is underway—a revolution many say was instigated by Katniss’ disregard for Capitol rules. As the title infers, ‘Catching Fire’ is about the idea of hope “catching fire” throughout Panem’s 11 impoverished districts, as they stand up against their President.
‘Catching Fire’ is just as exciting as the first film and perhaps even more so. With a new political twist, the series has taken a bit of a dark turn and the characters are much more mature. But the film isn’t all doom and gloom. Talk show personality Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) and Effie who both symbolize the excess of the Capitol are hilarious and ridiculous and bring much needed laughter throughout the movie.
For fans of the first movie and the book series, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Director Francis Lawrence brings Collins’ plot to life with beautiful and terrifying special effects and more developed characters and relationships. If you haven’t read the books, the last 10 minutes of the film may cause you to run immediately to a book store and buy it immediately.
