The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

My hope is that Suzanne Collins is working on a Caesar Flickerman spinoff featuring two hours of Stanley Tucci doing his sparkling white-chomper, bouffont hair, purple eyebrowed, over-the-top gameshow host persona. His character portrayal is probably the greatest display of Tucci's talent because it's just so much fun.

The second film adaptation in the bestselling YA sci-fi trilogy is finally here and is bigger than its predecessor in many ways: Budget, star-power, violence, and political dissidence. Coming in at nearly two and a half hours, it follows the District 12 Hunger Games victors as they travel their victory tour, witnessing the discontent and squalor in a nod to the growing socio-economic class divide embracing their dystopian society. Katniss and Peeta, the darlings from the 74th annual Hunger Games, are forced back into the arena for the 75th anniversary "Quarter Quell" where surviving victors are pitted against each other in order to cull the inspirational herd, a reunion devised by evil President Snow, who is looking to put down any possible rebellion. Ultimately, the film lays out the groundwork for the two part finale, Mockingjay, which will be a major departure from the theme of the first two games... er, I mean movies. I worry that the franchise could be in danger of taking a "Matrix" turn, but feel that the material and characters are strong enough to avoid that potential franchise collapse.

Katniss is a very well-cast Jennifer Lawrence, who although just won an Oscar last year, will forever be known as the girl on fire. I'm not sure if two more full films of her as the heroine of Panem is going to be good for her professional image, but she's still young and has decades of work in front of her so it doesn't really matter. She's getting paid, and is looking great doing it. Her emotions are at a higher level than what most early-20's actresses would be able to conjure for a film of this magnitude. It's less about a badass girl with a bow and arrow, and more about a girl who is surviving and inspiring others in a broken world. She was a great choice and shines again in Catching Fire.

Peeta is a slightly older, slightly wiser, slightly more handsome Josh Hutcherson. He fits the role much better now, and will only fill into the heartthrob role that he was lucky to get a couple of years ago. His character is the anchor that defines the humanity of the world. He does well, and I can see that if he packs on a few pounds of muscle, he might break out in Mockingjay and build himself a nice little future career path. Let me say, he didn't annoy me the way he did in the first film. Although his character is pretty weakly written.

Supporting cast members from the first film return, notably Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson, and we are introduced to a handful of new ones. Most worthy of mention are Philip Seymour Hoffman as the new gamemaker, Jena Malone as Katniss' vampy rival vixen, Sam Claflin as my favorite character, Finnick Odair, and a very small role by Jeffrey Wright, one of the most under-appreciated actors today. They all assimilate into the world of Hunger Games, and do it with alacrity. The world created by director Francis Lawrence is believable and bleak, but I'll expand on that below.

I liked that there was a certain amount of assumed knowledge of the story, as there isn't anyone in America who doesn't know of the franchise, and probably who hasn't either read the book and/or seen the first film. Catching Fire is the only film in 2013 that might be able to rival Iron Man 3's mega-success, but time will tell if it hits the international $1 billion mark. I vote yes. Anyway, the advantage of a sequel is that there isn't the necessary groundwork to lay. We know who the characters are, their motivation and relationships, and we're aware of the rules of the universe in which the film operates. This was a double edged sword as some of the routines that Katniss and Peeta went through seemed a bit redundant after the tension-laden original film of 2012. For example, the tribute training seemed to lack the nervous energy and spirit of competition. The countdown to the beginning of the games was less of a heart-pounding uncertain event, and more of a "come on, let's get on with the show" kind of scene. I know it sounds strange, but even at two and a half hours, some of the critical scenes seemed a bit rushed. The artistic interpretation of the gap fillers dragged on more than it needed to, and although there was more material to cover, I wish the darker tone had made the film a bit more violent and despondent than it was.

Francis Lawrence was the director of this one (Constantine, I am Legend) which had a bit more action and special effects than the first iteration. Francis will be helming both Mockingjay films, as the studio probably wanted to follow the storyline into darkness with a more gritty director than Gary Ross, who did the first Hunger Games. He has more artistic imagination with Pleasantville and Seabiscuit to his credit, so I like the change, and the direction that the franchise is seeming to move. Not that the change is noticeable, but the franchise has a growing sense of depravity as the bleakness and violence build to the revolutionary end. I'm looking forward to it, especially as Danny Strong is writing the final two films. Look for the next two Novembers to be consumed by Hunger Games fever, and then it will disappear, a la Twilight.

One thing I didn't like about it is the portrayal of the future society. It was a gripe from the first one, and one that will haunt Divergent when it tries to take the reigns of "strong heroine" from Katniss' grasp over the next couple of years. The society has been simplified beyond all belief. There are 12 districts in the nation of Panem, which is the remnant of the United States, and each one has just one singular purpose or function. Coal, bread, textiles, agriculture, masonry, etc. It's too simplistic of a world, and maybe I'm reading into the story a bit deeper than I need to, but it seems that a revolution is well overdue. The other thing is the on again, off again relationship between Katniss and Peeta, and that pesky Gale. Young Adult fiction just wouldn't exist without a love triangle, but the Gale role in Hunger Games is confusing. He is not a likable love interest, or a suitable alternative to the reluctantly brave Peeta and his noble virtues. Liam Hemsworth may have a foot in Hollywood's door, but his tryst with Miley Cyrus means that he has some ground to make up with audiences. I can't look at him without seeing Miley swinging naked from a wrecking ball, and until he breaks through that proverbial wall through solid acting, I don't know if I ever will. I don't blame the casting director for that selection, but I question the relevance of Gale in the adapted storyline, that's all.

As I was watching the film, I kept trying to remember what had happened in the book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had forgotten. I'm not sure if that bodes well for the plot or not. I found the ending a perfect segue to the third film, but I also remember how much I didn't like reading Mockingjay. Here's hoping that the Lawrences and others can pull together a solid grand finale and if nothing else, it is certain to make billions of dollars. My wife loved the film, but I found it a bit lackluster. I found the simplicity of the first film's plot refreshing, and there is always the sophomore slump to contend with. All things considered however, this was a very well done film. Great cast, great action, great screenwriting by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) and Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Oblivion). You know you're going to see it. 8/10.