The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Movie Review)

Review by Paeter Frandsen

While I've read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, I only found the book moderately enjoyable, but many others would call the books phenomenal. The first movie based on this trilogy was well made, but didn't reach its full potential in a few respects. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, on the other hand, is an improvement in all the right ways.

After the events of the first film, President Snow sees Katniss Everdeen as a threat. Her actions in the previous Hunger Games have inspired many in the oppressed 12 districts to rebel. And though Katniss does not have ambitions to lead a rebellion, her actions have made her the symbol of it- a symbol that President Snow is determined to destroy.

To talk much more about the plot would spoil a few of the great reveals that you'll want to be surprised by (if you haven't read the books). And thanks to the abandonment of the first person present tense of the books, the film is able to create a few more surprises that I think actually improve upon the source material.

Another improvement from my experience of the books is the way in which the love triangle among Katniss, Peeta, and Gale plays out. Watching Katniss being emotionally pulled in two different directions in the film worked more effectively than being directly connected to her thoughts on the issue. This was something that came as a surprise to me, but it ended up working well.

Speaking of emotional involvement, I was also impressed with the performances and dramatic direction of the film. They immediately pulled me in and pierced my heart, even within the first 5-10 minutes of the film. The world of Hunger Games is one of bleak oppression and human depravity, covered in a layer of lip gloss and glitter. Despite going in to the theater remembering only portions of the first movie and even less about the books, I immediately sympathized with the characters, who continue to be given an emotional realism far too uncommon in sci-fi action movies.

Despite the dramatic focus of the film, this is certainly also an action movie. The stunts and visual effects take a welcome step upward in quality. This is especially noticeable in the CGI budget, which seems markedly increased.

Performances by the cast are all solid, although I think Gale could have been cast better or treated with a more interesting interpretation. He seems mostly to be filling the role of “boyfriend.” Make no mistake, he is a good man with admirable character, but he seems to have little personality beyond that. Jennifer Lawrence also maintains a stoic exterior perhaps a little more often than she should. But these instances are few and are overshadowed by the vulnerability she brings to so much of her remaining performance.

I don't think the average person will leave this film talking about much of moral or spiritual significance, but they may be much more likely to feel something worthwhile: a desire for justice. Repeatedly in this movie I was reminded of our modern obsession with being entertained, and how empty that pursuit ultimately leaves us. Catching Fire presents a world that visually worships at the throne of Lady Gaga and pursues pleasure to the exclusion of any moral virtues. Human life has no value and only an artificial version of love is exchanged between individuals. Even the pleasures experienced have a sense of emptiness about them, as though everyone is simply pretending to be happy in hopes that they may eventually really feel that way. It's a picture of what we are left with when we follow our natural compulsions and set aside the difficult virtues of selflessness and justice.

Again, I don't know that this movie will provoke much thought or conversation, but it reminded me to feel the things that are wrong with our world, and where we will be heading if we don't seek Jesus for rescue from ourselves.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a geek-worthy sci-fi action drama that successfully brings romance into the mix without “Twilighting” the experience. It may not make you think very much, but it's likely to make you feel some things that we all should from time to time.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language.
Quality: 9.0/10
Relevance: 7.0/10