The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Composite Score: 81.42
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, and Jena Malone
Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt, and Suzanne Collins
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Dystopian
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation, and language
Box Office: $865.01 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Sometimes it’s really nice to watch a blockbuster that also wants to be good. Catching Fire definitely comes across as a film that was made to make money but also be good. It entertains on a basic action/adventure/romance level but also has solid acting performances and makes a meaningful statement about multiple subjects. The story is a continuation of the story from the first Hunger Games (2012), following Katniss Everdeen and the people around her through the year following her victory in the ”74th Annual Hunger Games” of Panem. The dystopian aspects of the story’s society are explored more deeply in Catching Fire, and it does a good job of introducing new elements to the action of the film it follows.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
I have two broad issues with Catching Fire. Firstly, the film is very clearly the second film in a series, making the film difficult to follow at times if you want to watch it with no external context. This wouldn’t be as big of a problem if the other three films in the series were at the same entertainment and quality level of Catching Fire, but they are not. The Hunger Games scored about 5 points lower than Catching Fire on the composite score factors, and it is a pretty good film – entertaining but mildly contradictory in its messaging. The two parts of Mockingjay both scored significantly lower in their composite scores, and their quality reflects that. The cliffhanger nature of Catching Fire’s ending makes it pretty necessary to watch the two sequels, though, setting up for a somewhat disappointing end to what is otherwise a solid series.
The other detractor for Catching Fire is the nature of its source material. The book is “YA Dystopian Fiction”, meaning that the film tailors certain aspects of its narrative according to the tropes of that genre. The love triangle, generically outfitted police/military forces, and a hierarchical society are all aspects of the genre that carry into Catching Fire, causing it to be formulaic at times. While this formula definitely works from an entertainment and box office standpoint, it can become predictable in frustrating ways at times. Love triangles have potential for deeper character development and societal statements, but the one between Peeta, Katniss, and Gale feels intentionally complicated and fabricated for the sake of creating “teams” among its teen supporters. While the triangle does help develop Katniss as a character as she moves more toward Peeta and away from Gale, having it as a central conflict in the plot reminds audiences that the film is still catering to a specific demographic.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Jennifer Lawrence’s acting career was experiencing a peak during the time that Catching Fire released, and we are rewarded in the film with a legitimately well-acted leading performance as Katniss Everdeen. Her emotionality plays well in the role of traumatized young adult who lived through the events of the first film. She communicates the wants and desires of her character well. In particular, the development of the aforementioned love triangle is believable because of Lawrence’s acting. You can see her shift in preference from Gale to Peeta believably over the course of the film. The moment when she learns that she will be returning to the Games is incredibly well-acted, you can see the actual shift from disbelief to terror to despair and eventually to resignation; it’s hard to imagine the stars of some of the other teen dystopian fiction films running such a gamut so empathetically.
The supporting cast of characters also deliver powerful performances in Catching Fire that elevate it above its peers in both the series and the genre. Donald Sutherland as the imposing President Snow dominates the scenes in which he appears, playing not just a distant villain, but a legitimate imposing threat throughout the entirety of the film. The supporting characters of Effie (Elizabeth Banks), Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) help match the emotional depth brought by Jennifer Lawrence and make the film approachable for its more mature audience members. Each of them plays a different character with ties to Katniss and Peeta, each conveying a unique bond with the two younger characters and actors, bringing them into the more adult world of this second film. They show genuine emotion, connecting to their younger counterparts in ways that help the audience connect with them as well, despite the emphatically fictional nature of the film.
Finally, Catching Fire explores more mature themes than its predecessor and does so in a seemingly more effective way, helping make it more widely watchable for all audiences. Themes of celebrity, trauma recovery, government oppression, anti-fascism, and violence-obsessed society permeate the film, inviting deeper exploration. In particular, society’s obsession with celebrity and the problems inherent with turning children into celebrities play out in the lives of Katniss and Peeta, but also in their interactions with the other “tributes” like Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Johanna (Jena Malone). This is a film that has something to say and challenges its audience with its implications without creating an inherent contradiction.
A superior film to its predecessor and successors, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire overcomes its formulaic roots through powerful acting from its lead and supporting actors and the introduction of themes that are applicable to all audiences, not just teens. While it invites a watch of the other three films in the series, it can be watched on its own with only a minimal Wikipedia search before and after. It is definitely deserving of its place among the Greatest Movies of All Time, and even a watch of the other three Hunger Games films cannot take that away.
