CATCHING FIRE is an Impressive Improvement over the First HUNGER GAMES

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2014)

The association of young adult novels with film adaptations is almost as sour as that of video games. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence and there has been a lot of garbage shoveled onto cinema screens hoping to catch the same insane (and unjustifiable) success as those horrible TWILIGHT films. But there is usually an exception to every rule and that exception is THE HUNGER GAMES. I only finally caved and watched the first film when I saw the unusually positive reviews surrounding it. The premise had seemed interesting enough but I figured it'd be nothing more than a painfully lame teenaged love drama. I was wrong and I actually enjoyed it. I wasn't sure it deserved the hype it got, but I still thought it was a surprisingly good movie. As successful as it was, it was an obvious choice for the studios to continue on with the rest of Suzanne Collins book series (which, for the record, I haven't read) and 2013 brought us the second installment: CATCHING FIRE. It begins almost immediately after the events of the first film. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have just won the 74th Hunger Games in a historic event where, for the first time, two victors have been declared. This upset has caused ripples throughout Panem (the dystopian nation setting of the film) and it's shown cracks in the seemingly limitless control of the Capitol. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) warns Katniss to maintain the lie that she and Peeta are madly in love (there's a bit of back story here that I'm can't be bothered to covergo watch the first movie for the whole story on it) so the double win can be attributed to the Capitol's kindness to a pair of lovers as opposed to a ruse that allowed them to alter the rules and survive. The lives of Katniss and everyone she loves is at stake should she fail. Meanwhile, there are rumblings of rebellion throughout the twelve districts, inspired by Katniss and Peeta's success. Katniss has become a symbol of rebellion against the Capitol and, in an effort to squash any shred of hope behind it, Snow declares that the 75th Hungar Games, the Quarter Quell, will consist of surviving tributes from games past.
You know how I know CATCHING FIRE (well, the whole saga, really) is any good? Because it takes so much just to explain the basic plot to someone who's unfamiliar, and there's still so much I left out due to spoilers and length constraints. And the fact that, once you watch the movie, it all makes perfect sense. It's not overly complicated for the sake of making it seem complex. It's actually an incredibly good story for a young adult film. The first HUNGER GAMES was good, but nothing mind- blowing. It was a cool premise that delivered on it's novel premise of teens being forced to kill each other for the amusement of the incredibly wealthy while establishing an interesting world with a rich history and bizarre culture that, when you see where our own culture seems to be heading, sort of seems believable despite it's over-the-top nature. CATCHING FIRE takes everything established in the first film and starts building a more engaging story over it. The first movie was all about introducing us to Panem and the Hunger Games. The second movie lights the powder keg that will lead to rebellion with an almost unwilling Katniss at the forefront. Katniss has become a very layered character since we've last seen her. She's survived a traumatic experience and she's still haunted by the fact that she was forced to murder other tributes. She's got a bit of post-traumatic stress, and her problems are just beginning. The end of the Games was just the beginning. Now she's got to go on the victor's tour and keep the illusion that her and Peeta are in love or Snow will essentially murder everyone she loves. That's a lot to process. She's willing to go along because, at the start of the film, she's only interested in saving herself and her loved ones. But she will need to start thinking more globally by the end. The districts have started viewing her as a figure of rebellion and they've started showing their support, and Snow has noticed. CATCHING FIRE isn't so much about the Games (though Katniss is once again dropped into the life-or-death competition) as it is about Katniss evolving into the "Mockingjay"the symbol of the new rebellion against the Capitol.
I hate to make this comparison because the HUNGER GAMES movies aren't on the same footing as the epic STAR WARS films (wellI suppose it is light years better than the prequels) but CATCHING FIRE is the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK to the first film's STAR WARS. It's a more serious, brooding film with more at stake and the foundation laid for some grand finale to come in the final two films. It even ends on a sort of cliff- hanger. The production value is amped up and the tone is more mature, despite the bizarre fashion stylings of the Captiol crowd. Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) still looks like a psychedelic Barbie doll but even she has moments of humanity shine through when she sees how the Capitol has essentially condemned Katniss and Peeta to death. CATCHING FIRE feels like an almost completely different film from the first. It's emotional and it's way more engaging. Honestly, while the Games are the main attraction in these films, I was more interested in everything that happened before Katniss was dropped into the arena this time around. I was so impressed and entertained by CATCHING FIRE that I will actually go to the theater for the next installment, MOCKINGJAY.