Deeper into the Rabbit Hole

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2014)

Catching Fire, Part 2 of a trilogy, captured the gritty realness of the first movie, while dropping the shaky cam and adding a bit more Hollywood drama and scale. I was afraid the new director would turn it into an action hero, dystopian adventure film and was relieved by his restraint and loyalty to the themes of the books.
While the plot eventually brings our heroine to The Arena again, this is in no way a repeat of the first Games. In #1 the question is, what would you do to survive? In #2 the question is, who is the real enemy? This series is thoughtful, asking the viewer/reader to consider what they would do in a similar situation and hoping you leave with the suspicion that you ARE in a similar situation. If you just want action adventure, you will be much happier with the Avengers etc.
Jennifer Lawrence does a great job, as usual, showing us exactly what Katniss is thinking and feeling just with a look. Everyone else lives up to their previous performances with Elizabeth Banks' portrayal of Effie's growing compassion a particular standout.
I am a big believer in comic relief and we have become very accustomed to movies where violence and humor are played off each other. This is not one of those movies. There is precious little comic relief, as I don't think Suzanne Collins (the author of the books) found her topic particularly funny. Still, this is one area I think the script writers could embellish a bit to help the flow of the movie.