THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013 - SCI FI / ACTION / THRILLER)
**** out of ***** / 8 out of 10
(Into the breach once more we go, dear Tributes...)
CAST: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz.
DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and compelling reasons to watch the 75th Annual Hunger Games - straight ahead...
IT'S LIKE THIS: Ah, Cinematic Trilogies and Franchises... has there even been an easier cash cow or payheck in Hollywood? I'm thinking, no. Think about it: all you have to do is have your first movie hit big, then if you're smart all you have to do is ride that wave for as long as it will take you. And the sequels don't even have to be good or even average - just look at those fucking TWILIGHT movies. If I see another picture of Bella and Edward giving each other googley eyes, I think I'm going to puke.
Fortunately, our next review doesn't have any pale-as-ass vampires or their useless, tag-along, human girlfriends. That's because our next flick is THE HUNGER GAMES, PART DEUX, also known as CATCHING FIRE. Now, folks, unless "FIRE" is the name of some new venereal disease, I'm thinking we have some awesome thrills in store for us. If you'll recall, HUNGER GAMES PART UNO revolved around a future dystopian (meaning: shitty) society wherein famine and tyrannical rule are as common as I-phones and Facebook are today. Oh, and the Reaping. That's popular, too.
If you folks will also recall, our bad-ass heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) was a lowly hunter from District 12 (which looked like the Appalachias) who sacrificed herself to save little sis Primrose (Willow Shields) from being chosen as a "tribute" for the, ahem, "Hunger Games." I don't have to remind you folks that the "games" basically consisted of 24 tributes hunting each other down in the middle of some technologically-controlled artificial wilderness - until one survivor remained standing. However, as you also already know if you saw the first flick, Katniss and her lapdog Peta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson) gamed the system (and the game) and managed to be declared the sole survivors. Which makes no goddamned sense because "sole" means "one." Whatever.
So, as CATCHING SYPHILLIS, er, CATCHING FIRE begins, we find that Katniss and Peta have been, um, reaping the benefits of being the "winners" of the 74th Annual games from the first flick. Unfortunately, a quiet fade into the sunset just doesn't seem to be in the cards for our lead couple. You see, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is just a wee bit pissed off that Katniss and Peta outsmarted the rulebook and fears their cleverness has inspired the various districts to begin pushing back against the Republic. He pays a surprise visit to Katniss and her family, and basically tells Kat in private that this shit isn't over. Not by a fucking longshot, sweetie.
Sure enough, when the Reaping for the next Hunger Games comes around, Katniss and Peta are dismayed to find out the 75th Annual Kill-A-Thon will be comprised of tributes... from the winners and survivors of all the previous games. What the what? Apparently, this is President Snow's way of getting rid of Katniss and kill her rapidly growing status as a "hero." Oh, and he wants to just flat out kill her, too. As you can imagine, Katniss and Peta aren't exactly over the moon about this news. More like over the toilet seat, puking out of terror.
And so it goes... and once again starts up the whole dog-and-pony ceremonial show that Katniss, Peta, mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and wacky event planner Effie Trinkett (Elizabeth Banks) embarked on in the first movie. Which includes: (1) parading their asses around the capital in search of "sponsors"; (2) training relentlessly to get back into shape for the games; and (3) generally wearing a lot of truly awful fashion. Well, except for that one awesome burning-mockingjay-spinning-scarlet-red gown that Katniss's fashion designer pal Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) makes for her. I would totally wear that shit and rock it.
Oh, and I should also point out that Katniss and Peta's adversaries this time around are proven killers - what with them all being survivors from the previous games. A few of our charming assassins are: (1) Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), preening pretty-boy who, from the looks of it, spent most of his winnings on highlights and spray-tans; (2) Johanna Mason (Jena Malone), bitchy tramp who, from the looks of it, is a total whore; (3) Beetee (Geoffrey Wright), crafty geek who, from the looks of it, really loves his goatee more than anything else on Earth; (4) Mags (Lynn Cohen), older chick who, from the looks of it, thinks of Finnick as her surrogate daughter, er, son; (5) Wiress (Amanda Plummer), tweaky spaz who, from the looks of it, is just one "boo!" scare away from shitting her pants right then and there; and (6) Brutus (Bruno Gunn), who, from the looks of it, is probably the most ruthless of all the tributes judging by his, um, shaved head. There's more than a dozen other tributes, but these half-dozen are the ones who are the most interesting - and who just might prove to be either valuable allies to Katniss and Peta, or their most terrifying nemeses. Hmmmmm....
So... how will the 75th Annual Hunger Games pan out? Can Katniss and Peta repeat their success from the previous game? Will the Republic and President Snow fall for another bullshit "Romeo and Juliet" number? Or will it be curtains for our dear couple? And how will Haymitch protect his wards? Does he possess valuable info that can save them? Or are his hands tied this time around? And who amongst the tributes will be the inevitable traitor? But by the same token, who among them will be the surprise savior to Katniss?
One word, folks: hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
BUT SERIOUSLY: The rules for creating a terrific movie trilogy are, appropriately, three-fold: (1) start strong and captivate, (2) go deep and up the ante, (3) then bring everything full circle and finish even stronger. These rules sound deceptively simple, but are tricky to pull off. The fact remains they are at the heart of the best film trilogies in cinema history: STARS WARS, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE DARK KNIGHT, and even SCREAM. All these trilogies had first movies that opened strongly and captivated, second films that went deeper and upped the stakes, and final films that brought things back full circle to the first films and ended even stronger. Trilogies like THE GODFATHER and THE MATRIX were weakened by third films that failed to live up to the quality of the earlier films, underscoring the importance of adhering to the rules.
It might be a little too early to tell, but THE HUNGER GAMES films seem to be shaping up into a formidable trilogy. The first film opened strong and laid the groundwork. It was a reasonably entertaining action/thriller that vividly introduced us to the world of Katniss Everdeen and the sinister games that she and her fellow tributes must participate in against their will. Now, the second film fulfills the rules of a classic trilogy by simultaneously deepening the themes and upping the stakes - and is a markedly better film that its predecessor. All the emotional groundwork laid down by THE HUNGER GAMES is beautifully furthered and built upon by CATCHING FIRE - and audience investment is considerably higher this time around.
Part of the reason we empathize even stronger with Katniss and Peta this time around, is because we witnessed what they had to do to survive the first games. Resultantly, we feel like we survived along with them. So when they are involuntarily pulled back into the fray, we are right there with them. It helps considerably that, as with the first film, all the roles are filled with the ideal performer. Josh Hutcherson is once again a perfect combo of boy and man, while Liam Hemsworth is more affecting this time around as Gale, Katniss's love interest, since he is given slightly more to do. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks are also back again as Haymitch and Effie, invaluable members of Kat and Peta's team. Banks is particularly affecting this time around, with Effie showing an actual emotional attachment to Kat and Peta.
Indeed, CATCHING FIRE beautifully exemplifies the rules of the second film in a classic trilogy: go deeper and up the ante. The "upping the ante" part reveals itself with the unexpected paths that the games take.in this chapter. The first film had a strong first half because it focused on the intricacies and shifty politics of the dystopian capital, as well as the human minefield that Kat and Peta were forced to navigate to attain sponsors capable of aiding their survival later in the games. The games themselves were merely okay and - apart from some quirky flourishes - resembled the "fight-for-survival" antics of many other wilderness survival films. The games in CATCHING FIRE, however, are a different beast entirely. There is more emotional nuance and ambiguity to the characters and proceedings. In short, there is real suspense now - and the finale, which I refuse to spoil or even hint at, wonderfully sets the stage for the third, final, and hopefully most breathtaking entry in the trilogy.
Finally, no review of any HUNGER GAMES film would be complete without paying tribute (pun intended) to its star: the formidable, mercurial Jennifer Lawrence. Put simply, the strength of HUNGER GAMES is due primarily to Lawrence's unmistakable star quality and her ability to cast a long shadow with minimal effort. The role of Katnis Everdeen is one that requires someone who can clearly and rivetingly express all of the character's complex internal mechanics - often with just glances, gestures, and expressions. The role also requires someone who can believably go verbally toe-to-toe with some powerful authority figures played by more experienced, veteran performers in intense dialogue scenes. If even one side of this equation was compromised, the performance would have been diminished. Happily, Jennifer Lawrence is that rarity even in Hollywood: a star who is truly a star. She is genuinely amazing.
In the end, CATCHING FIRE is a very good example of a "second" film in a trilogy. Let's hope that the third installment, titled MOCKINGJAY and due to be released in two parts over the next two years, will provide a stellar capper to the HUNGER GAMES trilogy.
