The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Cast of Characters:

Katniss Everdeen - Jennifer Lawrence

Peeta Mellark - Josh Hutcherson

Gale Hawthorne - Liam Hemsworth

Haymitch Abernathy - Woody Harrelson

Effie Trinket - Elizabeth Banks

Cinna - Lenny Kravitz

Plutarch Heavensbee - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Beetee - Jeffrey Wright

Caesar Flickerman - Stanley Tucci

President Coriolanus Snow - Donald Sutherland

Director - Francis Lawrence

Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy & Michael Arndt

Based on the novel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language

      Academy Award winners Jennifer Lawrence and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright - deep breath... Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer and Academy Award nominees Woody Harrelson and Stanley Tucci star in the second film of the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire... What a horrible cast.

      Following the events that took place in the first film, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have returned home to District 12 after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games. On the day that they are both to start a victory tour through the country, Katniss is visited by President Snow (Donald Sutherland), who tells her that her defiance by breaking Capitol rules so that both she and Peeta could live may inspire an uprising, if a rebellion hasn't been started already.

      Since this year's events marks the 75th anniversary, Panem holds what is known as the Quarter Quell, a Hunger Games event every 25 years where the contestants are chosen through the pool of surviving victors. With new gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) at the helm, Katniss and Peeta find themselves thrust back into another fight to the death match, this time with the stakes raised even higher.

      For me, 2012's The Hunger Games was an exception amongst other film adaptations in that I didn't find myself interested in the books until after seeing the film (in some cases, that can be more rewarding in that the books tend to offer more detail and character development than the films). Most of the cast from the first film once again returns for the sequel. One major difference is director Francis Lawrence, who has stepped in for Gary Ross, who directed the first film. Despite directing I Am Legend, a film I enjoyed, Lawrence has made more misses than hits having also made the crap-fest that was Constantine, Water for Elephants, which was just meh and a horrible present day updating of the life of the Bible's King David called Kings. Although a bit unsure of what he'd bring to the table with his stab at the popular novel series, Lawrence's direction here is competent and smoothly paced, effectively blending the stirring action and impressive visuals with the quieter, sobering themes of the story. Even at close to two and a half hours, Lawrence, with the help of a strong script from Simon Beaufoy and Academy Award winner Michael Arndt (credited here as Michael DeBruyn like he was with Oblivion), keeps the viewer engaged from start to finish. Jennifer Lawrence, who if no one wants to marry her I myself will gladly and without hesitation volunteer as tribute, is one of the best young actresses out there today, having just recently picked up a Best Actress Oscar for last year's Silver Linings Playbook. She's once again wonderful as Katniss, who's both heroic yet vulnerable. She doesn't exactly wanna be the heroine. Can you blame her after what she's just gone through? Yet, for the sake of her loved ones, she finds she has little choice. Even though Lawrence is the heart and soul of this film, it doesn't hurt to have the A-list supporting cast she has backing her up. We're graced with the returning veteran acting talents of Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson (all three perfectly cast in their respective roles) as well as two new and great additions in Jeffrey Wright and the never disappointing Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's always great to see performers of their caliber take part in films like these, and not just take part in, but take the roles as seriously as they do. Some of the other supporting characters aren't as well developed (Jenna Malone as Johanna Mason, Amanda Plummer as Wiress) as others (Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair), but compared to the film as a whole, it's a forgivable gripe. I should also mention Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, who was just as annoying in the first film as she was in the first book (I just started reading the second), yet here she's likeable for a change, even sharing some moments of humanity with Katniss and Peeta.

      We don't get as much character introduction like we did with the first film 'cause obviously this is the second in the series. One other nitpick is that most of the fighting takes place at night, making it slightly difficult to tell who's who. I first thought it was just the lighting of the screen I was viewing it in, but then after reading other people's thoughts on the film, they seemed to share my sentiment. Just a technical nitpick, though, that doesn't take away anything from this being a worthy sequel to the highly entertaining first film of the series while also setting us up for Mockingjay (which will be split into two films) just nicely. Plus, this film helps get rid of that shitty aftertaste The Starving Games left me. I give The Hunger Games: Catching Fire an A- (★★★½).