A worthy middle chapter in a surprisingly mature teen franchise.

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2013)

It is has been over a year now since the first "The Hunger Games" took the box office (and audiences) by storm. Now after much anticipation, well marketed hype, and a year of below par sequels (mostly); "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is finally here. So is the verdict. And the verdict is very glowing indeed.
"Catching Fire" is all about the consequences of Katniss' victory in the last Hunger Games. She tricked the Capitol and President Snow wants revenge. So while she tries to appease President Snow she must also deal with the fact that she is the reluctant symbol of a rebellion beginning to emerge in the Districts. Things get even worse for her as she must decide how she will keep her loved ones safe as the next Hunger Games come closer, and these Games will have a twist that will change things forever.
The sequel does a fantastic job of diving deeper into the thought-provoking ideas of the books. We find deeper themes concerning totalitarian government, the one percent versus the ninety-nine percent, violence in our media, and beginnings of war. It is based off of a young adult novel but it is much smarter than your average teen story.
All of this is mainly due to the wonderful new direction the film was taken into by Francis Lawrence (new director). While I did enjoy the controversial shaky-camera of "The Hunger Games" I will admit there is something refreshing to get a clear look at the action this time around. However, Lawrence was smart because he kept the dark tone set by Gary Ross in the original and he even expanded upon it. Usually there is fear of a change in directors so suddenly can lead to jarring tonal shifts with films in a series. However, Lawrence did an excellent job of making the film his own while building off of the world we had seen in the first movie.
While Lawrence did add something new and exciting to the series, the fact is "Catching Fire" would fail if it was not for the fantastic actress that was placed in the lead. At this point it is cliché to say that Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic but it is very true. From the very first shot of the film she has you trapped in her gaze. Her down-to-earth persona makes Katniss very relatable. Also, Jennifer made the smart move to show the thing in Katniss that makes her relatable to almost everybody, the desire to protect her family and loved ones. They could not have found a better actress to portray the endearment, strength, love, and vulnerability that is Katniss Everdeen.
Of course the rest of the cast do fantastic jobs as well. Josh Hutcherson portrays Peeta's broken heart with finesse as well as the strength (and even pain) he has gained from being in the Hunger Games before. Liam Hemsworth gets more screen time this time around and he does a great job with it. We know Gale loves Katniss (but also confused on how to deal with this situation) and this time that is explored more in depth which is a nice focus. Then of course there is Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravits, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, and new cast members; Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman who all do fantastic jobs. It is hard to find such a reliable cast in a brand new movie series.
One final note concerns the love story in the film. While the love story is not the primary focus of the series I am happy to see it get more time to expand in this movie. The chemistry between Lawrence/Hutcherson and Lawrence/Hemsworth is clearly much more distinguishable in this movie. We see a teenage girl who is in the middle of a revolution while dealing with normal teenage girl problems in her home. And I am happy that the filmmakers were careful in their portrayal of the love story and did not make it feel forced or cheesy. The chemistry and the story itself did all the work.
All-in-all, this is a very fine addition to what is probably one of the smartest franchises to come out in a long time. With fantastic performances, great direction and writing, intense action sequences, and a deeper sense of the thought-provoking themes from the novel; "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" soars above and beyond expectations to set the stage for the two-part final act to come.