The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Director: Francis Lawrence Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin ⋆⋆⋆⋆
The second (of four) instalments of The Hunger Games picks up where the first sci-fi adventure left off: having survived the brutal Games that pit teenagers against each other to the death, young Katniss (Lawrence, both heartbreaking and tough at the same time) and her fellow competitor Peeta (Hutcherson) are on a “victory tour” – being paraded around the bleak, poor districts before ending up at the technicolour, wealthy Capitol. Realising their victory has inspired the downtrodden to rise up, President Snow (a deliciously sneering Donald Sutherland) devises a way to quash a rebellion before it begins – by forcing Katniss and all previous winners to compete in a new Hunger Games that will only have one survivor (one that preferably isn’t Katniss). The filmmaker Francis Lawrence – best known for the visually stunning Constantine (2005) – delivers a sequel that’s a bigger, faster, grittier retread of the original (parents should note it is violent and not suitable for preteens). While it helps to have seen the first movie, there’s a bit of a preamble to explain why everyone looks so gloomy before the action – and most impressive bits of CGI – really kicks off as Katniss and Co are transported to a flashier, deadlier games arena that boasts poisonous gas, tsunamis and even rabid baboons. While some may grumble at the leave-you-hanging ending (and remember, we have to wait a year for part three and another one for part four), this is nonetheless even better than the original and a mouth-watering appetiser for the two-film finale, Mockingjay.
