The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Lacking Heat

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2013)

This film is mildly recommended.
The second installment of The Hunger Games took a L-O-N-G time to "catch fire". The first hour and a half were a mere retread of the first film, setting up the same tired formula of "them against us". The theme of oppression continues to run deep in this saga, and I found the film oppressively smug. Seeing the same totalitarian state with its absurd and garish upper class taking advantage of the down-trodden lower class just grew monotonous and downright silly.
The plot of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire still centers around the blood sport of the games, although its violence remains toned down for its targeted teenage PG-13 audience. In this sanitized sequel, the government is concerned about a possible rebellion from the working class peons and our heroine, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), becoming their spokesperson and savior. With that in mind, the evil leader of Panem, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) decides that Katniss is a problem that needs to be eliminated, along with her pretend boyfriend and former Hunger Games surviving partner, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). So a new scheme is hatched to renew the arena killings once again in order to put our spunky gal in harm's way. (In this sequel, no longer is it just teenagers stalking their peers. Now death has no age limit. Why, there's even a granny thrown into the mix. This version of the Hunger Games is an equal opportunity employer.)
Although this film has a new director this time around, Francis Lawrence, it's still the same old rehash, even if it's handled competently. The screenplay is serviceable at best, as are the production values. (I did enjoy some of the amusing over-the-top costume designs by Trish Summerville.)
The film does have stronger performances than the first chapter did. The actors bring more energy to their one-dimensional roles. Particularly strong are Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and a comic Stanley Tucci. Sutherland is given more screen time and he makes a most vivid impression as the menacing overlord. However, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, and especially Toby Jones add little to the film. New cast members include the aforementioned Hoffman, Jena Malone, and Sam Claflin as the kindly stud. Ho-hum.
As the two leads, Hutcherson is overshadowed by Lawrence, which is how it should be to enable those young female moviegoers to relate to the main character. Lawrence is a talented actress and she truly delivers a strong full-bodied performance, making the role more credible than it deserves. Hutcherson's Peeta is as bland as, well, pita.
But it is not until the hunger games actually begin that the film becomes interesting and, dare I say, somewhat exciting. (That's the last hour of the film, so come late and you'll enjoy the film even more.) The jungle setting has the right level of creepiness and there is one sequence that is the film's highlight: a very well-edited segment involving a baboon attack that supplies the missing excitement that is sorely needed after the film's leisurely and lengthy beginnings.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a slow burn indeed. GRADE: B-
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com