A step up from the first!

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2015)

I was a huge fan of the previous film, The Hunger Games, and the books so I was so excited to watch this and the film didn't disappoint. Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen and the film is set a few months after she and fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson), have won The Hunger Games. There has been an uprising in the districts due to the fact that were two victors instead of one and Katniss and Peeta have to face these results of their rebellion on their Victory Tour where they visit the 12 districts and make a speech about how thankful they are to have won the Games. After finishing the tour, Katniss thinks she is well clear of the Games until President Snow announces that each living victor from the previous Games will fight to the death in the 75th Hunger Games, also known as a Quarter Quell. Since Katniss is the only female victor from her district to have won the Games, she has no choice but to battle other tributes in the arena once again. Will she survive the Arena again? As much as I loved the first film, I definitely think this one was better which is quite rare as, usually, the sequels are worse than the first film (Kick-Ass 2, Taken 2, and many more) but in this case, the second film was a lot better than the first. I think the Games in this one are a lot more violent and scarier than the first Games as the Capitol are doing everything they can to prevent a rebellion from happening. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect as the leading lady, Katniss Everdeen, she really understands the depths of the character and shows it. We are also introduced to several new characters, including the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as the latest gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. In one of his last performances he is the perfect casting as Heavensbee, he is exactly how I imagined him in the book. We are also introduced to some new Tributes as well including Sam Claflin as the charming Finnick Odair and Jena Malone as the fierce and independent Johanna Mason. These two pull off great performances. I wasn't so sure of the casting, at first, but my opinions soon changed once I watched the film. This sequel is full of drama and action and ends with a cliffhanger that will make you dying to watch the third. If you love action, then I'd definitely recommend this.