Intense excitement not for younglings

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2013)

The second entry in The Hunger Games series is perhaps even better than the first, with strong, layered characters, intrigue, creativity, and a great buildup to a stunning cliffhanger. For me, it was endless entertainment.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not sure that The Hunger Games is really for the younger kids out there. It's grim and violent. After all, it's about kids killing each other for the entertainment of a despot. So, PG-13 rating notwithstanding, you might want to reconsider bringing the kids to this. There are some scenes that could give them nightmares (even more so than Harry Potter).
The 75th Hunger Games are upon us, but President Snow (an oily Donald Sutherland) is not pleased that Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) were joint winners the previous year when they appeared to choose death over murder. In particular, Snow reviles Katniss, whom he views as a beacon of hope to the mostly impoverished denizens of Pandem's twelve districts.
Katniss and Peeta are to embark upon a victory tour, stopping in each district and reading a quick eulogy to the fallen tributes of the previous games. But they must also put on a front that they are both deeply in love with one another, thus distracting people from their wretched lives, as is the intent of the Games. You might guess that this pretension doesn't go over well with Katniss.
The victory tour, however, is only the beginning. More games are afoot, and the lives of Katniss and Peeta are no longer the only ones at stake. There's a hint of unease in the air, particularly among the poorer regions of the land. Is Katniss Everdeen a symbol for rebellion? Some characters return, such as Caesar Flickerman, the Games' host (Stanley Tucci), the flamboyant Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), the designer Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), the cranky drunk Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and the misnamed Snow. Along with new tributes, we meet a new gamesmaster, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who takes over for Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) as the Machiavelli/Wizard of Oz.
The action is frantic, even more so than in in the first movie, and the obstacles facing Katniss - both emotional and physical - are still more debilitating and oppressive. Even though we - and the players - know that the arena is very much under human control, nothing is predictable.
Lawrence, if you can believe it, is better than ever. This time around, we get a little bit more of a look into her psyche, her reserved nature, and her longings. Katniss is as radiant and determined as ever, a fierce and intelligent young woman who is as vulnerable as the rest of us. And that alone makes her an ideal role model for kids, not just girls.
A word to the wise - okay, a second word to the wise - in one way this movie reminds me of Back to the Future II. That movie was filmed at the same time as its successor, and although it is a fun movie in itself, it transparently served as a lead-in to Back to the Future III; similarly, this movie will not end as decisively as the first but rather on a dramatic, but satisfying precipice. It is a rare film that can tell a tale fluidly and not just leave the audience wanting more of the same but wanting to know precisely what happens in the seconds after the screen goes black. Catching Fire acts as both a wild ride of joy, despair, love, anger, and revenge and as a catalyst for the third and final installment.