More Confident, More Polished, and Much Improved

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2014)

After seeing The Hunger Games, I wanted desperately to see the sequel, Catching Fire. There was so much potential for the franchise after the first film, and as I liked Catching Fire better than the first novel, I had high hopes. When I heard Lionsgate had replaced Gary Ross with a new director, Francis Lawrence, I was even more excited for this film. In my mind, a new director was just what this franchise needed.
I'll start with the script and story, as their quality was largely unaltered from the first film. Even though the series's author Suzanne Collins would not stay on to write the script for Catching Fire, it largely stayed true to the novel. The largest changes mainly highlighted the political undertones of the series in a good way, bringing the Games out to be a more political statement than perhaps Collins wanted. However, these moments between Plutarch Heavensbee and President Snow added a lot of thematic depth and really made the film all that much better. They better explained the motivations of President Snow and kept us guessing about Plutarch and what his actual motivations were. Also, these scenes along with several others make it clear that the film's message is one of overthrowing the oppression of tyranny, making a more coherent film throughout. Overall, the changes made to the script of Catching Fire enhanced, not detracted, from Collins's original work.
Visually, Catching Fire has improved from the first film. In the story, the Capitol has spared no expense on the 75th Hunger Games; likewise, the visuals feel and look more extravagant and special. Many times, we are reminded of this fact: many scenes from the arena take descriptions from Collins's book and bring them to life in a magnificent way. This is truly a visual masterpiece, even for its seeming lack of special effects, as it brings Collins's world to life in incredibly vibrant ways.
The acting of Catching Fire is much improved from its predecessor. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson feel more confident in their lead roles of Katniss and Peeta, respectively, while the characters that were truly stellar in the first film are given more of an opportunity to shine. Haymitch and Effie both are given the time needed to be considered major supporting roles, allowing Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks to excel in their respective roles. The additions to the cast perform admirably as well, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch. He makes us keep guessing about where his character's allegiances lie until the end, just as his character does in the book. Donald Sutherland is another highlight, as he makes us want to hate President Snow with a passion. Overall, a solid group of actors produces a solid group of performances that seem straight out of the novel.
The direction of Catching Fire is arguably the greatest improvement of the film. Francis Lawrence is unafraid to take the reigns and show us how a no-name director can make a splash. He ditches the shaky camera-work of Gary Ross and replaces it with smooth, steady shots from mounted cameras. This is a marked improvement in many of the more exciting scenes, as they seem more coherent on screen. The use of IMAX cameras in the arena also helps us further distinguish it as its own world from the rest of Panem. However, the best part of the cinematography is that it remains very personal, despite it not being hand-held. This makes it never be missed and gives a more polished look to the film.
Overall, Catching Fire is a marked improvement over its predecessor. It feels more confident and more polished as a whole, and this extra shine makes it a much more enjoyable film and a better one. This film would probably be placed in my top 20 overall. It's that good. There's not a single bad component to this film. Some things could be better, but they're so small you'll hardly notice. A fine job by the cast and crew to make Catching Fire a very, very good film.