Part of my new found respect for the franchise is Jennifer Lawrence. She is incredible as Katniss Everdeen and in Catching Fire is again mesmerising as you get completely lost in her performance. This time she faces off against Donald Sutherland’s President Snow. He gives her an ultimatum about attempting to stop a suspected growing rebellion by going on a victory tour to see the masses at the various districts. She has to whore herself out with plastic smiles along with fellow District 12 survivor Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) to give the impression that everything is harmonious. The price of fame following their success from winning the last Hunger Games and the ideas of overexposure to media are also explored in a satirical first hour. Correspondingly to the first film, the dystopian landscape, disparity of wealth and totalitarianism are the overarching themes again. This time we get a more intimate portrait of how the other half live as well, with a trip to the affluent epicentre of the president’s house as part of the tributes tour.
The second film of a pre-planned trilogy always has the hardest job with the first movie always starts out with a bang and lays the groundwork and the expectations for the subsequent two. We are introduced to the characters and the world in which the films inhabit. The final film usually wraps everything up and brings the franchise to a close. The second film though really serves as the build-up to the third and has a majority of filler in it. Catching Fire is like this to an extent, but it betters the first movie and could almost be a stand-alone film. Despite its 150 min running time it hardly drags, due to the gripping if not slightly predictable story and Lawrence’s commanding performance holding it all together. The only time that it does slow down for a breather is ironically during the action in the final act but it quickly picks up the pace again for the grand finale.
In a way it is essentially a copy of the original film, Katniss is chosen to perform in the games (cue the training montages) and then she is taken to the arena to fight to the death but this time her competitors are previous winners of the games, and so the stakes are higher and odds lower of her survival. Plus there is a new game maker in town, Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee, who is upping the ante at every step, making the arena even harder to stay alive in.
Consequently the gore is much more prominent and you do forget that you are watching a 12A at times which is no bad thing. Hoffman’s notoriety also gives the film a bit more credibility and he joins the cast alongside newcomers to the series Jeffrey Wright and Jenna Malone. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks also return as the other members of the District 12 Team. The latter’s extravagant outfits are fantastically designed by Trish Summerville and had input from Alexander McQueen’s designs. They are as eclectic as her personality and the dull colours from the cinematography’s ruined cities contrast brilliantly with her garments and again represent the difference in class and opulence.
Although it comes as a bit of a disappointment that the producers are cashing in and splitting the last book into two films, it does seem necessary given the way that the movie ends. It leaves a sense that something big is brewing and I personally cannot wait to see what it is.
Verdict: 8.5/10
