As the new "head of games", his dialogue scenes with Donald Sutherland are among the highlights of the film, and I frankly would have much loved a film told from their point-of-view as the Hunger Games played out on their monitors. The new cast members are mostly introduced so they can, should they survive, play a role in the two-part finale, but Jena Malone is always welcome as is of course Phillip Seymour Hoffman. man (or woman) and more survivalists battling the elements and the arbitrary machinations ("Get out of the fog!") of the Capitol. While this sequel refreshingly remembers "who the real enemy is", it also presents a game that's less man vs. Katniss still doesn't actually commit any acts of outright murder, but the film doesn't ask us cheer the deaths of certain contestants this time around. The first film's games were borderline offensive due to an unwillingness to let Katniss get her hands bloody and the creation of "good" and "evil" combatants in a scenario where no such morality existed (they were all basically kidnapped children). The training sequences are functional if arbitrary, and the deeply satirical media coverage sequences are biting as always.īut the games themselves are once again frankly boring, akin to how Quidditch used to take us away from the Harry Potter narrative during key story points. Josh Hutcherson has the less crowd pleasing but arguably more nuanced role, but he demands your attention and respect as well. She especially shines in the opening acts, as Katniss is presented as suffering from PTSD from the first games and unable to stop innocent people from basically sacrificing themselves in the name of the hope that she allegedly inspires. Jennifer Lawrence is terrific of course, and this really is the role of a lifetime. Like the Hunger Games' intended effect on the populace, the actual competition that make up the last 45 minutes becomes a distraction, offering little storytelling or character but taking us away from the genuinely compelling drama of a people being crippled by an oppressive ruler. After a widely-seen act of defiance in Katniss's district, President Snow decides to make the 75th Hunger Games into a proverbial all-star game comprised of former winners young and old.Īs with the first film, the best material is all prior to the games themselves. Since Katniss's trickery that allowed her to survive the games is seen as an act of defiance by the masses, her very presence threatens the Capitol's hold on power and thus the safety of those dearest to her. The picture takes place about a year after the original, with winners Katniss and Peeta being forced to participate in a victory tour around the various districts. But The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is still all-but crippled by the unquestionable irony of its very existence. It is surely a better film all-around, even if I've realized that I just don't enjoy the actual Hunger Games aspect of The Hunger Games. This second chapter represents a huge course correction in this respect. As they get ready for games, Hamish advises Katniss and Peeta to team up with some of the other 24 participants if they want a chance of surviving.I was not a fan of the first Hunger Games, feeling that it toned down the horrifying implications of its universe and created artificial "good versus evil" conflicts within the main competition in order to better craft a crowd-pleasing franchise, basically amounting to a sanitized celebration of state-sponsored murder. Before the tour, President Snow ( Donald Sutherland) pays Katniss a visit, warning her that he knows she's faking her love for Peeta.ĭuring the tour, the districts begin to rebel against the Capitol, prompting Snow to decide that there will be another Hunger Games, this time to include two previous winners from each district, hoping that Katniss will be killed.Īs the only female winner from District 12, Katniss is chosen, but when Haymitch Abernathy ( Woody Harrelson) is selected as the male contestant, Peeta volunteers. After winning the Hunger Games, Katniss ( Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta ( Josh Hutcherson) return home to get ready to go on a Victory Tour of all 12 Districts.
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