There was something akin to panic when Gary Ross decided one film in
The Hunger Gamesseries was enough for him and left to pursue other less stressful projects. When Francis Lawrence took over it was met mostly with vague dismissal, like most of the director's films up to that point. He was always competent, but with
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire he takes the franchise boldly out of Ross' shadow by bringing his own streamlined approach to the material, raising the stakes and delivering every significant emotional beat, which are plenty. Catching Fire isn't just a worthy sequel that die-hard fans can appreciate, with its complexity and commitment to character it's a superior film and proves why
The Hunger Games is the most compelling franchise going today.
The second of Suzanne Collins' best-selling novels has rightly been compared to
The Empire Strikes Back, which should tell all you need to know about the tone. It's dark stuff, so dark that the "kids killing kids" scenario is largely thrown out the window in favor of something even bleaker. But it's also the most ambitious of Collins' book for a reason, as it juggles a rather complicated, downbeat first half with a final act that is the stuff of pure adrenaline. Appropriately, the film begins with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who has outsmarted the evil and awesomely-bearded President Snow (Donald Sutherland) to survive the previous Hunger Games with her faux lover, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Their victory and supposed devotion to one another has made them heroes throughout Panem, a fact that has P.O.'ed Snow something awful. Rebellion is brewing throughout Panem's poorest districts, and Snow basically wants Katniss' head on a platter. After a few not-too-subtle threats against Katniss and her family, Snow sends the two champions on a Victor Tour throughout the nation; the better to remind the people of the Capitol's ruthless power.
Killing her would only make her a martyr, and so Snow hires new Gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman, classing up the joint) with the task of ruining her idyllic image before delivering the killing blow. Plutarch's solution? Alter the 75th Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell, by forcing Katniss and Peeta to battle former victors plucked from the previous competitions. The look of horror and resignation on Katniss' face when the announcement is made is heartbreaking, not because it dooms her tenuous love triangle with Peeta and best friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), but we know it's out of concern for her family. They've already beaten the odds once, and doing so a second time is all but impossible.
While the mood of the film is icy cold, with armed jack-booted Imperial soldiers marching up and down at all times, what few moments of genuine fun come during pre-games rituals. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) recognizes Katniss' status as a flaming symbol of hope and gives her the extravagant outfits to match. Training sequences show off the director's special effects flair, especially during a scene when Katniss is shooting down burning foes with her trusty arrow. Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) continues to deliver sage but drunken words of wisdom, while Effie Trinkett preens with her pink/blue/orange/whatever hair. In order to survive, Katniss and Peeta will need to make friends again, and this time they've got a motley crew to choose from. Oddball geniuses Beetee (Jeffrey Wright, another touch of class) and Wiress (Amanda Plummer, nice to see again) seem weak but are deadly smart; smirking pretty boy Finnick (Sam Claflin) and the aggressively confrontational Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) could be worthy companions if they can be trusted.
Perhaps what makes
The Hunger Games so special is that it can be anything the viewer wants it to be. On a purely entertaining level the film is never boring or slow despite the nearly 2 1/2 hour runtime, a feat that the last movie couldn't equal. There's a greater emphasis on the culture of celebrity obsession this time around, as the people become fixated on Katniss and Peeta's daily lives, and there's a brilliantly poignant moment where Haymitch warns his friends "You never get off this train!” The cameras are always rolling and the spotlight is always on, much like the 24 hour E!/TMZ/YouTube society we live in now. As far as metaphors go, Catching Fire makes its point without being too heavy-handed, and those who choose to simply enjoy the film as a piece of science-fiction can do so. The central love triangle isn't just some weak dramatic crutch where audiences argue over which hunky dude Katniss should end up with. Each character has their battles to fight and tough choices to make, so when the idea of romance does emerge there's always something substantial behind it.
There came a point watching Kristen Stewart slog through playing
Twilight's Bella Swan that the actress just looked totally disinterested. What's more, she seemed to have outgrown the role fairly early on but had to see it through to the end. A lot has changed for Lawrence since the last film, and you can see that wealth of experience reflected in her performance. She remains a true shining star with a warrior spirit, growing deeper into the role of Katniss, a character whose stoicism is only matched by her selflessness. The book was able to take us into Katniss' tortured thought process as she was forced to make impossible decisions on the fly, but the ease which Lawrence is able to get all of that across is impressive. Hutcherson is a touch too passive as Peeta, which may be the fault of the script which often has him in the position of needing rescuing. He's a steady, reliable presence throughout, but not terribly exciting.
The games themselves are bigger and more dangerous this time, with everything from lightning strikes to poison gas to killer baboons making their presence felt. Lawrence falls back on Ross' handheld camera technique sparingly, saving it for the most intense sequences and delivering the greatest impact. Overall the action is more polished and professional. No knock against Ross, but action set pieces aren't his strong suit, whereas Lawrence knows them inside and out. Rated PG-13, the film does shy away from excessive violence during combat but remains terribly effective depicting the cruelty of the Capital's Nazi-esque acts against the populace.
While it may be blasphemy to compare
The Hunger Games: Catching Fireto
The Empire Strikes Back so frequently, there's no denying that both are immensely entertaining, thought provoking films that are so good they make their predecessors better. If this is what the final two movies are going to be like, then the odds will ever be in our favor.
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