Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
Whatever the flaws, many from the books, this second grittier, more confident round of Hunger Games thrills us into submission.
It is heartening to find a teen-oriented movie franchise as gritty as The Hunger Games. Even so, Catching Fire remains contradictory, caught in some nether world between nightmarish political allegory and adolescent escapism.
It’s a meaty set-up, and while the film takes its time exploring the characters, its themes and action sequences are more forcefully realised than they were first time round, suggesting that this series may soon be the one against which all other franchises will be judged.
Proving once again why Jennifer Lawrence deserves her Oscar, Catching Fire delivers on all the promise of Part 1 with a gutsier, tougher, better round of Games. The odds are forever in Mockingjay’s favour…
You can feel the franchise dynamic chugging beneath, with the result that Catching Fire is not quite a full course, more of an amuse bouche, making its mammoth audience hungry for future, meatier instalments.
Jennifer Lawrence's stubborn streak sparks Catching Fire into life
Consistently exciting and superbly performed, with a credible screenplay.
What’s disappointing is that the film doesn’t so much end, as cut off at a cliffhanger. Professionally, I’d condemn this as terribly clumsy filmmaking – but really, I just want to see the Games continue.
It’s difficult to see evidence of the $140m budget in what is essentially a retread of the first film, with equally dull set-pieces and boring pseudo-characters orbiting Lawrence’s taciturn and tough Katniss.
Who needs superpowers when you have this much talent? Expect box office dynamite.
What's surprising is how tasty the franchise still is.
Teenage girls, who will see this in droves, will be completely enraptured. Others might be amused and intrigued but secretly long instead for those cheap, fast, satirical movies about horrifically corporate-controlled futures and violent sports such as Rollerball, Battle Royale and Death Race 2000.
Whether shooting arrows or intervening to stop a friend from being horsewhipped, [Lawrence] plays Katniss with such ferocious conviction that we never question for a moment how far-fetched the premise here actually is.
I’s good enough to fulfill the promise of the title. With Catching Fire the Hunger Games saga really catches fire.
Despite the strong premise, the dramatically unwieldy structure means nothing ignites.
Like Katniss, Lawrence has become bigger than the Games themselves, something that makes her very powerful, very dangerous and rather inspirational. That in itself is a victory worth cheering.
Francis Lawrence on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Why The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen is a role model for our times
Why the Hunger Games proles have it better than they know
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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