Significantly stronger than the first film, but still suffers from the same plot holes and contrivances.

Rating: 6/10 (13 December 2013)

"Katniss!" the crowd screams, giddy with excitement. In just a short year, Jennifer Lawrence has rocketed beyond the fame of her most iconic character so far. While she has been one of my favourite 'it-girls' in recent years for her likable personality and well-rounded career, it does concern me that the backlash is just around the corner. Will 2014 be less kind to her? Will she fade? Will the hysteria just grow stronger? Fortunately, she does deserve the praise she's getting, even if it does feel quite premature since she could potentially win a second Oscar with American Hustle. I hate to admit that I'm getting a little fatigued with her desperate cries and screeches that were overused in Catching Fire, but perhaps that's the director's fault and not Jennifer Lawrence's. She's certainly gained a star presence that shrouds her in an alluring aura that I hope she'll continue to flaunt with sincerity. There's not enough of that these days.
I really disliked the first Hunger Games film. As someone who's never touched one of the books, the film exists in a world where it assumes the book is the audience's bible. Far too much goes unexplained, unjustified and taken for granted. Fortunately, Catching Fire finds its footing, if not entirely recovered from that difficult intro of the first film where all the dramatic exposition in the world won't cover it, this film is simply in much better hands. With Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt behind the wheel of the script, I can trust them to have the material make as much sense as possible and bring the potential out of every character of its crowded ensemble (though I still don't know who Liam Hemsworth is supposed to be). Gone is the infamous shaky-cam and in comes a more confident visual approach. What saves it most is the on-point editing that provides much more comfortable pacing, especially as we're treated to an enjoyably creative montage as Katniss and Peeta tour the districts.
While the first film didn't know what to do with its moral stance on death and killing, Catching Fire explores more human depths as Katniss struggles with PTSD. The film is moody with its heavy emotion but it doesn't come from a stake-less teenage angst part of the characters but from a tension in the fragile fabric of their world. It still scratches the surface of its potential since it can only redeem its predecessor a limited amount, but it's an admirable attempt. However, it suffers from typical plot holes and contrivances that the first film struggled with too. I'm sure these ideas are covered in the book, but the film really should've pushed the justification. I'll let go 'why don't they kill each other in training' but why do they make allies if they'll have to kill each other in the end anyway? I just don't buy that trust. Suzanne Collins sure lives in a logic of her own as far as her self-preservation theme plants her. It just gives me a headache. I may not stick for Mockingjay, but Catching Fire is a relatively enjoyable and involving experience.
6/10