Movie sequels are never better than the first, often times ruining the first movie all together. This was not the case for the record-breaking Hunger Games sequel, “Catching Fire.”
“Catching Fire” continues immediately where the first movie left off with winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), on their victory tour. Because of the recent act of defiance from Katniss in the previous film, the entire dystopian country of Panem is in an uproar.
President Snow (Donald Sutherland) wants to restore peace to the nation by destroying the image of Katniss, who has become the symbol of the “mockingjay,” to the citizens, and any other previous tributes that are defiant. Enter new maker of the games, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Snow has the perfect formula to take down Katniss and the rebellious citizens of Panem. Or so he thinks.
Every 25 years lands a “quarter quell” where the game makers of that year have the opportunity to do something special. Plutarch, to Snow’s liking, takes advantage of this bend in the rule and declares that tributes must be reaped from the previous year’s victors. Yes, Katniss is going back to the Hunger Games and yes, Peeta is too.
The movie switches from the previous films normal games, to a twisted version where previous winners again must fight to the death.
Unlike the first movie, “Catching Fire” finally delivers convincing performances from all of the characters and tributes. Jena Malone’s, who portrays Johanna Mason, acting came as a surprise because it was so convincing rather than the bland Alexander Ludwig’s, in the role of Cato, performance in the “Hunger Games.” Malone, as an outsider to the main characters, delivered a performance that makes audiences finally believe the seriousness of the situation when her raw talent for acting is seen clearly on her face fighting other tributes.
The best decision that Lionsgate really made, was switching directors from the previous film’s Gary Ross to Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend,” “Water for Elephants”). Lawrence finally put the changes in the movie that non-readers could understand. For example, the characters actually saying one of the main actress’s name (Effie), and changers readers wanted by having a hovercraft come through the arena to collect the fallen tribute’s bodies that Ross seemed to forget. Changes such as that make audiences better relate the book to the movie rather than leaving them frustrated with changed scenes as the first movie did. Plus, viewers will not get dizzy this time because Lawrence holds his camera still.
What most movie goers fail to remember is that all of these kids are trying to kill each other. With a PG-13 rating, directors cannot put in the gore that shows the true violence of the situation. In the “Hunger Games,” sadly, Ross used a quick camera turn when tributes were murdered or made the screen dark so no one could see.
On the bright side, director Lawrence in “Catching Fire” finally showed the brutality of the killings, but on the bad side the movie did not show the gore to go along with it. But the interesting part about the “Catching Fire” movie is that not all of the tributes are killed by other people and do not need to showcase gore to give the desired effect of a sad death.
Even though “Catching Fire” is longer than the first movie at 146 minutes, it never leaves audience members bored or feeling as if they have been sitting in the theater too long, it leaves them literally at the edge of their seats, shocked, confused, heartbroken, and hungry for the next installment: “Mockingjay: Part 1.”
On opening weekend “Catching Fire” grossed $158.1 million in the US compared to “Hunger Game’s” opening weekend at $152.5 million. “Mockingjay: Part 1” is scheduled to be released on Nov. 21st, 2014.