Every Revolution Begins With A Spark

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2014)

The second chapter of The Hunger Games series continues the journey of Katniss Everdeen & although it presents quite an improvement over its predecessor, it still couldn't avoid the typical trappings of its genre that stopped it from being a great sequel. Katniss & Peeta being crowned the winner of the 74th Hunger Games ended up starting an uprising against the Capitol because of which Snow himself wants them to put everything to rest during the victory tour. But when things go opposite as planned, Snow changes the rules of the games on its 75th anniversary to bring other tributes into a single game in which only one could emerge a winner, thus bringing back Katniss & Peeta to compete once again.
What improves compared to the previous film is clearly visible in the film's themes & tone, which are explored in more detail here. The visual effects are also better due to more budget, the production design team has done a fine job despite few missteps here n there & the reprising cast has played their characters with more maturity this time. Leading from the front is Jennifer Lawrence once again who turns out to be the best thing in the film & steals the show for the second time in a row as the Girl on Fire. What's also nice to see is a character arc for Katniss at last in the script, something which was very much missing in the last film. Francis Lawrence's direction is pretty energetic but the film still ends up running longer than it should have.
Things not working in favour of Catching Fire is its stale characters. Apart from Katniss, there is no one really who we care about & most of the new cast doesn't even get a proper introduction. The costumes & makeup remain cartoony like the previous film. Editing surely leaves out many moments that could've been trimmed. And just like its predecessor, Catching Fire takes too much time before we get to see the games plus the ending also could've been a better chosen one. Still, on an overall scale, where most sequels crash & burn, Catching Fire burns bright & shiny and is a more polished & robust sequel and is arguably as refreshingly entertaining, if not more, as The Hunger Games.