The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

  

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Release Date: November 22, 2013
My Rating: 7.5/10

Albeit rather late, I wanted to post this review in honor of the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away this past Superbowl Sunday from a tragic overdose. Mr. Hoffman was widely regarded as an incredibly prolific actor known for several films including Capote, Doubt, and The Master.

From I am Legend director Francis Lawrence comes the second installment in the  critically-acclaimed Hunger Games saga based on the young adult novels by author Suzanne Collins.
The first film depicts a corrupt government located in a dystopian fictional nation known as Panem, where a lavish Capitol governs 12 districts from which each year, one teenage boy and girl are sent to fight to the death in a brutal competition reminiscent of the era of gladiators in ancient Rome.

In this sequel, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) are enjoying their newly-acquired status as champions of the 74th Hunger Games and are parading around the 12 districts with their team of sponsors which include Capitol resident Effie (Banks), mentor Haymitch (Harrelson) and stylists Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) and Portia as part of their victory tour to pay their respects to the fallen tributes from last year's hunger games. After a visit from Panem President Snow (Sutherland), Katniss learns that her actions in the previous games have sparked rebellions across the districts, prompting the Peacekeepers to maintain order by all means necessary, including public assassinations. Haymitch explains to Katniss and Peeta that in order to avoid any suspicions, they must become engaged so that their romantic relationship appears more plausible. There is also a new head game-maker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Hoffman) who has replaced Seneca Crane, who was executed for violating the game rules the previous year.  This year, as it marks the 75th Hunger Games, there is a "Quarter Quell" in which previous games victors from other districts compete against each other as tributes. Among them are Capitol favorite Finnick Odair from district 4, district 7 tribute Johanna Mason, and elderly couple Wiress and Beetee from district 3. Throughout the course of the games, the tributes battle various obstacles in the arena ranging from poisonous fog to wild monkeys and deafening birds known as jabber jays.

The film begins rather slowly, as much of the first half is devoted to the preparation for the games, the victory tour, and the rebellions that cause the Peacekeepers to resort to violence (as in one scene where Katniss's childhood friend Gale is whipped). However, once the games begin the action picks up and the numerous traps that the characters encounter are portrayed in very gripping and suspenseful ways, with various unexpected plot twists (particularly at the end) for anyone who didn't read the book. Moments of silence are quickly followed by scenes filled with heart-wrenching sounds and cries of anger during fight sequences. For the most part, the sequence of events does seem to follow those in the novel, although one crucial scene toward the end in which the tributes finally discover the secret to escaping the arena appeared rather rushed in my opinion, in stark contrast with the detailed description in the book. The new characters who appear as tributes in this installment are also not as well developed in this film as they are in the novel. Nonetheless, the cinematography and special effects remain fantastic, depicting a setting and scenes very similar to the ones I had pictured. when reading the book. The misery and anger that prevails in the districts at the beginning of the story are very well demonstrated, with a series of brutal scenes depicting signs of a revolution that will eventually unfold and gain force in the last novel, Mockingjay. The movie ends with exactly the same suspense with which the novel ends, predicting a bleak future ahead for the citizens of Panem.

The performances from the actors, both returning and new, are stellar, particularly Woody Harrelson as the gruff yet sly Haymitch Abernathy. Josh Hutcherson's portrayal of Peeta seemed rather lackluster compared to his performance in the previous film and especially next to the over-emotional and vehement Jennifer Lawrence, but that may simply be due to the fact that Peeta does not seem to play as strong a role as he did in the first movie. The film also has a brilliant soundtrack-which includes an original song "Atlas" by my one of my all-time favorite bands, Coldplay-that perfectly captures the anxious mood that prevails during the story.

Like most contemporary science fiction/fantasy films, this one demonstrates that the driving forces behind its success do not simply involve a series of dazzling visual effects and unfettered violence-and even a romantic subplot-but also the continuing faith of its fans that the story is not yet quite over, that there is still more to come.