The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

This was a great sequel to a great film.
The film picks up a year after Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) have won the Hunger Games and inspired Panem with their own sappy love story. Yet, they have barely talked to each other since.
Katniss still hunts with Gale (Liam Hemsworth) who works in the mines. But when she aims and fires her bow, she doesn't see it striking a wild turkey but a person just as she had done in the game causing her to have a panic attack.
Problems arise. Namely in the form of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). He has spy cameras following Katniss around so he knows that she recently kissed Gale while the districts still believe that she loves Peeta. She must lie to the other districts and perform when they go on the publicity tour.
The tour is a disaster, because of Katniss's actions, rebellion is strong and the guards will do away with those who honor Katniss's bravery. She is terrified of what happens right before her eyes. The fake speeches aren't her style and she longs for her family. Not even meeting the new game designer, Plutarch (the great Philip Seymour Hoffman) who admires her can help her.
But Plutarch doesn't really admire or even like Katniss, he agrees with Snow that she must be stopped. The people must see her as one of them. Floggings will increase, executions will be back. The 'Peacekeepers' sent from the capitol turn District 12 upside down. Call me crazy, but it seemed similar to the Holocaust, with the Peacekeepers rounding up extra supplies and the nice things the people owned and burning them, while subjecting them to beatings. The head Peacekeeper doesn't even recognize Katniss when she tries to protect Gale from being hurt.
When this doesn't seem to be working, Plutarch decides that the ultimate Hunger Games should do Katniss in. This is where each District will send two of its former champions. Katniss wants Peeta, whom she is fake engaged to, because she doesn't want him to die. Despite Haymitch's (Woody Harrelson's) name being drawn, for some reason Peeta decides to volunteer in his place. You will find out the true reason later, but at the time, I didn't understand it. Haymitch is a middle-aged, unmarried alcoholic while Peeta is young and still has the rest of his life ahead of him. Whatever.
The training is intense and alliances must be forged. And Katniss does make friends. With some weirdos. The District 3 victors are an odd couple but kind. Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) is not strong but won because he electrocuted six people with this special wire he invented. Wiress (Amanda Plummer, who needs more screen roles) is equally as odd. Mags (Lynn Cohen) is a sweet old lady who volunteered from District 4 just to save the damaged selective victor. Finnick (Sam Claflin) is also on Katniss's side, though they do not get along well at the beginning.
The rest of the victors are ruthless, with one even filed her teeth down so they look like fangs. It's super creepy.
Once again, Katniss gets to show everyone what she really is, but she hangs a body up labeled Seneca Crane, the secretly murdered game designer from the first film. For some reason, probably one of the biggest plot holes and problems I have with the film is that this is never brought up again and she does not get in trouble.
Then comes the best scene, the last publicity interview before the games begin. Katniss is decked out in a wedding dress ordered by Snow. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) out did himself, but once she swirls around, the white dress is changed into a mockingjay, complete with wings. Cinna will pay for this.
Peeta's interview is the best. In addition saying that he and Katniss secretly wed, he is worried about the baby. Of course, there is no baby, but it was a great twist and one that earns him points from Haymitch, though the games will not be cancelled or postponed.
And so the games begin. Peeta and Katniss have joined forces with Finnick and Mags where they face the challenges together. The challenges are grim. They are in a desert dome this time around with no sources of freshwater. (Luckily, Haymitch helps them out in this area.) There is a poisonous gas which will cover the skin in nasty boils, and fierce fighting monkeys with big gnashing teeth. A huge wave strikes. Others, including the wild and scene-stealing Johanna (Jena Malone), Beetee and Wiress deal with a blood storm, which causes Wiress to become delirious. Wiress keeps repeating tick tock which leads Katniss to discover that the games are like a clock, with a disaster coming every hour but only lasting for that hour. A lightning strike at midnight and noon begins the whole cycle again. Unfortunately, Wiress will soon die.
Luckily, Beetee comes up with a plan, with his special wire. They will attach it to the lightning tree and then put it in the water, hopefully frying the others still left in the game.
This fails to work because someone cuts the wire and then Johanna rips out the tracker from Katniss’s body. But Katniss has the last word, firing an arrow into the dome covering, causing it to be destroyed.
Then Katniss is rescued. I was wondering why this was occurring. Sure, this had happened before, but only because the victors had died, but Katniss has not died. Her health is not great, but she is blinking. She wakes up in a hospital like setting to discover Plutarch, Haymitch and Finnink plotting for the revolution. Most of the other victors were in on the plan. Peeta remains in the game, his fate unknown for the time being. Gale has joined the alliance, after getting her mother and sister out of District 12 which now no longer exists. The Rebellion has begun.
This film deals with some serious issues and the love triangle is firmly in place. I believe that Katniss loves both of them, just not at the same time. She loves and needs Peeta during the games while Gale is what she needs when she’s at home. Peeta is her rock during the games but Gale understands her and her desires, but he has no idea what her life is like during the games. Peeta knows how brutal the games are and they bond despite the immense challenges ahead of them. But they both love her.
I’m also glad that a rebellion will occur. I’ve read several dystopian futuristic novels before where the society is oppressed, but in neither did a rebellion occur so this is a nice refreshing change. I wonder what will happen next.
Once again, the film has nary a false step. Lawrence is brilliant as Katniss, showing every emotion, even when she tries to hide them, they are never far from the surface. Hutcherson is also great as Peeta but he and to a bigger degree, Gale are still quite underdeveloped compared to Katniss. Malone is utterly brilliant as Johanna. She has such a memorable introduction, meeting Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta on the elevator and stirps right in front of them which Haymitch finds particularly enjoyable. Johanna is also rightfully angry. She is pissed because she was promised once she won the games that nothing like this would ever happen again but they lied to her. Claflin is also great as someone with murky motives.
The film also looks great, with great scenery and brilliant costumes and flawless special effects.
The plot is lively and entertaining though I did have a problem with Peeta announcing that Katniss is pregnant. I predicted that, though just minutes earlier I predicted that Snow was going to force the two to get married just before the games, which never happened. But the problem is that Katniss never yells at him for throwing that into the mix and none of the other contestants bring up that issue. Sure, a small problem, but one that bothers me, but I’m a weird person. Other people might have a problem with the cheat ending. I’m an optimist, I hope all the cool characters survive.
I can’t wait for the next film. This one will have to tide me over until then. Grade: A-