A good second episode

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2013)

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark go on tour around The Districts following their victory in the 74th Hunger Games. It is clear that Katniss has become a symbol of hope to the downtrodden everywhere, so President Snow determines to stamp out hope by populating the 75th Hunger Games with previous victors (all of whom believed that winning meant that they were forever out of the running). Things do not go according to plan, for anyone...
After thoroughly enjoying the first movie, I read the books and thoroughly enjoyed them. Despite being more Old Adult rather than Young Adult, and male rather than female, the post-apocalyptic dystopia trope is one I have enjoyed since I first started reading science fiction in 1960, and I greatly enjoyed the often unpleasant and non-heroic protagonist, a refreshing change. The film preserves much of this albeit some of the edges are, perhaps necessarily, softened. Jennifer Lawrence continues to do an excellent job of portraying this character.
The film adapts the book quite well, introducing us to more of the behind the scenes intrigue, showing us more of this world and then dropping us into the preparation phase leading up to the Games themselves, so like the ones we have seen before and yet so different. There is much in this part of the story which is unexpected, particularly in character dynamics and relationships. There is more blood in the action sequences than was the case in the first film.
I have two reservations. One, Josh Hutcherson joins Daniel Radcliffe as child actors who have matured into adults where, for heroic roles, their diminutive stature is distracting. And, two, Katniss has changed from being a very able archer to being Legolas or Hawkeye, capable of quickfire reloading with pinpoint accuracy which, sorry, I don't buy. And that element of unrealism taints the need to suspend disbelief elsewhere.