Catching Fire is one of those beautiful rarities in Hollywood: a sequel that actually improves upon it's predecessor and not only that, delivers an exciting, thrilling romp into the twisted world of Panem that we had been introduced to in The Hunger Games.
As Catching Fire opens, we find that Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) are trying desperately to preserve some semblance of normality about their lives now that the two of them have returned home- however, the government is about to uproot them once more and send them on a Victory Tour throughout the other twelve districts and that means that the dangers they hoped were behind them have returned- along with some new ones as well.
The day of their departure, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) pays an unexpected visit to Katniss and tells her that he is angry with her for breaking the rules at the end of the last Hunger Games to let both Katniss and Peeta win and moreover, her defiance of the Capitol has inspired rebellion in the districts. He also reveals that he is well aware of her romance with Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and tells her that as long as she and Peeta's love remains convincing and they toe the line that Capitol sets to try and calm down the unrest in the Districts, they might, just maybe, be all right.
But from the very first day of their Victory Tour we see that things are far from all right. A speech at District 11 (home to Katniss' fallen counterpart Rue from the first movie) turns into a bloodbath and a riot as an old man raises a salute in defiance and is promptly executed for it. Realizing that their families and friends are under threat unless they toe to the Capitol's line, Peeta and Katniss decide to get married and announce their engagement at the star-studded culmination of their Victory Tour.
Returning home, Katniss is ready to make a break for it and flee into the woods with Gale and their families, but Peacekeepers arrive to terrorize the populace and Katniss has to intervene to save him and that's when President Snow unveils his next nasty surprise, the 75th Hunger Games, drawn from previous victors of past Hunger Games. Of course, Katniss' immediate plan is to ensure Peeta's safety. She makes Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) promise to volunteer in his place if Peeta is chosen, but Haymitch's name is drawn and despite his urging Peeta volunteers to fight alongside Katniss once again.
Soon enough, they're back in the Capitol with a new Gamesmaker, Plutach Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and new allies and enemies to consider, they're back in the ring and facing a whole new set of dangers and challenges, but the secrets this arena hold prove to run very deep indeed as the victors are, in fact, members of a conspiracy designed to smuggle Katniss out to be a symbol of the new rebellion- however in the process, Peeta and Johanna (Jena Malone) are captured. A distraught Katniss is sedated and she wakes to find herself enroute to District 13, headquarters of the new rebellion, Gale by her side, who informs her that her family is safe, but that District 12 no longer exists.
Overall: The first Hunger Games move was a solid adaptation of the book but it didn't make my socks roll up and down all that much. The sequel packs more action, more plot development and more of pretty much everything into it and the viewer is left satisfied and wanting more. The themes of dependence versus independence (Katniss and Peeta, locked together despite Katniss wanting to be free, the District dependent on the Capitol, yet wanting to be free) are deepened here and the full scale of the brutal repression of the Capitol's dystopia becomes clearer. In all, this feels like a more complete movie that its predecessor and, as a result, I can't wait for Mockinjay- Part 1 and Part 2. **** out of ****
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