(USA, 146 min.)
Dir. Francis Lawrence, Writ. Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth,
Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam
Claflin, Jena Malone.
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| Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Photo credit: Murray Close |
The odds weren’t in the favour of Catching Fire, but the second installment in the Hunger Game franchise is on par with
the original film. The Hunger Games has
even more street cred this time around now that Katniss (aka the consistently
amazing Jennifer Lawrence) is an Oscar winner and is joined by some equally
talented newcomers to the franchise like Jeffery Wright, Amanda Plummer, Jena
Malone, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The added pedigree (of which the franchise already
had plenty) shows how this adaptation of the Suzanne Collins trilogy is in a
league above most other teen lit fare. Catching
Fire is, above all, solid and breathless entertainment, but it’s also a
smart allegory with its finger on the pulse of contemporary culture. Despite having to meet the very high
critical and commercial expectations set by the first film, Catching Fire holds its own.
Catching Fire, like any return to familiar terrain, has an inevitable sense of “been there, done that” as the script by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt brings the audience back to District 12 and follows Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back to the arena. Like a new season of Survivor, however, the crew behind Catching Fire has refreshed the world of The Hunger Games anew. The gamesmakers, led by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee, put some new spins on the games to satisfy both the fans and politicians of Panem. They’re equally bloodthirsty pairs, but the one-man Tribal Council of President Snow (a coolly evil Donald Sutherland) wants to throw Katniss back in the ring and make an example of her for all the lowly citizens who were inspired by her defiant trick with the berries at the end of the first installment.
The ruse of this new round of The Hunger Games—its 75th
edition—is that the reaping pool will consist solely of past victors. It’s Survivor: All Stars where Katniss has a
target on her back like Richard Hatch. Not only is she the most beloved recent
winner, but President Snow’s handy rigging of the games shift the odds away
from her favour. (As the only female victor from District 12, it’s a given that
she’ll join Peeta or Haymitch in the arena.)
Oddly enough, this round of The Hunger Games suffers only
when Katniss and (spoiler alert) Peeta are back in battle. The reality TV show
parallels continue with how The Hunger Games don’t necessarily become better
now that the game is a bit fancier and more complicated. The world of the games
is just as impressive as it was in the battle royal of the first film, but the
games themselves lack the suspense and action to offer a payoff on par with the
excellent buildup that precedes them.
Katniss and Peeta make a few allies in the arena on
Haymitch’s advice. They’re joined by Finnick (Sam Claflin) and his elderly
mentor Mags (an awkward Lynn Cohen), who seems to be even more baggage than the
oft-straggling Peeta. Worthy friends and/or foes present themselves in a roster
of new characters, although few of them amount to any action or confrontation,
especially those characters who seem to be the most promising villains. What
happens to the girl with the fangs? Or to the brother-sister duo who seem like
major threats?
But maybe the fight in the arena isn’t supposed to be all
fun and games this time around. “Since the last games, something’s different. I
can see it,” says Katniss’s sister Prim before the elder Everdeen goes back to
fight. Even the young girl, who was picked in the reaping before Katniss
volunteered in film one, grasps the political dimension that has been added to
the game this time around. Nobody’s really looking forward to the games aside
from President Snow, for Katniss and Peeta’s grand finale in the last season
has inspired the masses that they, too, can defy the oppressive Capital.
The Games aren’t as exciting this time around because the
fight outside the arena is far more interesting. Catching Fire, thankfully, is less of an Occupy fable (we’ve had a
few too many of those) and more of an intelligent fusion of Big Brother
oppression and the culture fixation on reality television that has blurred the
line life and entertainment. Catching
Fire develops the dystopian allegory more fully than its predecessor did,
and this tale of a simmering uprising will have audiences even more invested in
the fate of Katniss and Peeta than they were the first time, especially now
that Katniss has become a symbol of hope for citizens in the various districts
of Panem.
Lawrence gives
another electrifying performance as Katniss. She develops one of the strongest,
most fully realized female heroines in both teen-targeted cinema and genre
moviemaking alike. She’s the Ellen Ripley for this generation as she carries The Hunger Games with an indomitable
spirit. Katniss, above all, has Lawrence’s spunky, hugely GIF-able sass and
youthful energy. It really is a marvel to see Hollywood’s hottest star take
age-appropriate roles to a new level. J-Law is clearly having a ball, but by
creating such a substantial character, she’s playing a role model both onscreen
and off: she’s proof that a young woman can get ahead in showbiz without
twerking.
While Lawrence is the main show of Catching Fire, she’s surrounding by a cast of worthy co-stars.
Hutcherson is fun and likable as Peeta, who plays nicely with the inversion of
typical onscreen gender roles in his pairing with Lawrence. Katniss is the
sturdier of the two tributes from District 12, wearing the pants both in and
outside the arena while Peeta pines for her. One needs the character of the
other to balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses, though, so the pairing
of Katniss and Peeta helps give the
Hunger Games trilogy its contemporary flair. Both the returning and new
cast members are worthy assets, too, especially Elizabeth Banks as the flamboyantly
Lady Gaga-ish Effie Trinket and Stanley Tucci as Hunger Games commentator
Caesar.
Caesar does less of his play-by-play this time around,
although he does lots of Oprah-level theatrics beforehand, as Catching Fire opts for less of the
mechanics and culture of the games than the first Hunger Games did. Catching
Fire doesn’t feature the original commentary of the first film, nor is
there much of the Truman Show-y
insight into the production of the games, aside from Plutarch’s conspiring with
Snow. (Which is too bad since Hoffman is a stronger presence for a gamesmaker
than Wes Bentley is.) This is more of a straightforward adaptation than the
last film, so director Francis Lawrence restricts the drama primarily to the
arena once the games begin. Lawrence also keeps the action steady this time
around by avoiding the shaky camerawork and disorienting editing that provided
an engaging (if polarizing) flair to the visceral yet PG-13 violence of the
original film.
Catching Fire
might be more generic than The Hunger
Games from a perspective of aesthetics and crafts, but Lawrence capitalizes
fully on the franchise’s two greatest assets: the powerful star presence of
Jennifer Lawrence and the potent allegory of Katniss’s spirit. Catching Fire should satisfy fans of the
franchise and leave them hungrily on edge for Mockingjay with the film’s nail-biting finale. Catching Fire beats the odds of franchise filmmaker and delivers
fully on the expectations set by its predecessor.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Catching Fire is currently playing in wide release.
