The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

There are survivors of the Hunger Games, but no one ever truly wins. Since being placed in the Games one year ago, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have been trying their best to forget their experiences and move on with their lives as victors. With time, however, both Peeta and Katniss realize forgetting is virtually impossible. Every so often they are brought back into the spotlight to show off their relationship which began in the arena - and saved both their lives. It doesn't help their predicament that President Snow is still angry at them for showing the Capitol up in the arena by attempting to commit suicide instead of killing each other. Whereas the districts saw a love story, President Snow saw an act of defiance which could spark a rebellion among the districts. As punishment for their defiance, President Snow issues a decree that the 75th Hunger Games - known as the Quarter Quell - will involve only past winners of the Hunger Games, hoping that Katniss and Peeta will die and keep the embers of rebellion from fully catching fire.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is without a doubt the best so far in the Hunger Games series. Thankfully the quick, choppy/shaking cinematography where it was difficult to see what was on screen during the arena battle scenes was left behind in the first Hunger Games. I did appreciate the reasoning behind doing it that way, but it got old after awhile. The acting as a whole was leagues better than the first movie, and was also able to improve on giving the spotlight to more than just the main characters; in doing so the audience was able to care for much of the rest of the cast, instead of just using them as 'filler' or (for lack of a better description) props only as a way to propel the story along. The Hunger Games was able to do this, but not nearly as well. The director, Francis Lawrence, was also able to stay even closer to the source material this time around, going so far as to directly take bits of dialogue from the book and put it into the movie. There were some important parts of the book I wish had been included (I won't specifically name them so I don't ruin the story for anyone who has never read the books), but nevertheless it was a very solid adaptation. I would actually go so far as to say Catching Fire is one of the best sequels/adaptations I've seen in several years.

Another thing I liked was the accomplishment of building on what The Hunger Games established previously when it came to the world of the Capitol and the surrounding districts. In Catching Fire, the audience gets the chance to better understand what some of the districts are going through as they start to revolt against the Capitol, and as a result become more emotionally invested in the fate of the rebellion. In The Hunger Games, the world was limited to District 12 and the Hunger Games arena, so it was a little difficult to truly get the sense of what was going on.

In my review of The Hunger Games (which you can read here), I mentioned how the story was about kids being placed in an arena and forced to kill one another, and that I didn't think it was suitable for kids under 13 unless their parents thought they could handle the mature themes. With Catching Fire, the tone goes from a statement on our entertainment and how it affects us, to political thriller showcasing a tyrannical government essentially enslaving its people. I would still urge parents to be careful with this one, seeing as how it's still a pretty dark movie; however, the adults, teenagers, and older kids who can still understand what's going on in the story will love it. Especially if you have ever read the books.