The Hunger Games, Catching Fire:
Now, as many people know, I wasn't a big fan of the first Hunger Games movie. Although it had some good performances, especially from Jennifer Lawrence, I felt it was too slow, boring, and tedious, with not enough action or character development, and it borrowed from far too many other, better books and movies (Battle Royale, 1984, The Running Man, The Long Walk, etc.) It was also made for people who had already read the books, as it barely established the world in which Katniss Everdeen lives, and assumes most viewers are already familiar with it. However, the sequel blew away my expectations. Despite it also not having much action, and the fact that the games in this film don't begin until halfway through, this film had much better performances, better writing, and an even darker story. It also ditched the irritating and God-awful shaky cam used in the fight scenes from the first film. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, and Willow Shields all return from the first film, and again do a good job portraying all the characters. Wes Bentley (American Beauty, Ghost Rider, P2) does not reappear as Seneca Crane, but his character is mentioned surprisingly frequently. Replacing him as the game-maker in this film is Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of my favorite actors, who plays Plutarch Heavensbee. Plutarch is a good villain: a cunning, ruthless man who helps President Snow (Donald Sutherland) plan on how to destroy Katniss' public image and kill her. Other new additions to the cast include Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Lynn Cohen, Amanda Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, and Meta Golding. The plot of the film follows Katniss and Peeta's journey after winning the 74th annual Hunger Games. They must tour the country, going to each District to honor its' fallen tributes. But, during one of their speeches, the crowd stands up to the authorities, and a small riot ensues, with innocent civilians being gunned down. President Snow decides that for the 75th annual Hunger Games (also known as the 3rd "Quarter Quell", a special Hunger Games which takes place every 25 years) he decides that the tributes from each District will be pulled from the existing pool of victors, meaning Katniss (the only female tribute from District 12 that is still living) must go. Katniss must now fight a President who wants her dead, and fight in a new version of the Hunger Games, where every other tribute is as skilled a hunter as she is. Like I stated before, this film is much more entertaining and well-written than the first, and the special effects aren't too shabby, either. The action scenes, though few and far between, are executed much better, and the music is just as good as before. (James Newton Howard's score was one of the best parts of the first movie.) The improvements might have been because the film has a new director: Francis Lawrence. Now, Lawrence's filmography is littered with mediocre work, such as 2007's I Am Legend and 2011's Water for Elephants, so I wasn't jumping up and down with excitement when I heard he'd replace Gary Ross (writer of Big and director of Seabiscuit and Pleasantville). However, he did direct 2005's underrated comic book adaptation Constantine, so he had done some good stuff before, but I was still a little uncertain. I was proven wrong, and I look forward to his next Hunger Games film: Mockingjay-Part 1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is not only better than the original, I think it's one of the best of the season, and possibly the whole year. It's got some good action sequences, good acting, a well-written screenplay, some good CGI, and a good musical score. (Although some may be disappointed that it ends on a cliffhanger.) 4/5 stars.
My brief review of the original film: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/matt-cotter-movies-april-films.html
My second (and even shorter) review of that movie: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/10/reel-time-hunger-games.html
The original film's appearance on one of my end of the year lists: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/01/top-10-worstmost-disappointing-films-of.html
(Image: Wikipedia)
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