Movie review: Hunger Games 2 - playing with fire

Catching Fire will burn up your screen with its gripping plot and Jennifer Lawrence’s powerful performance.

If it’s the violence that you venerate, then let the games begin. Catching Fire oscillates between drama and action, taking narrative and thematic liberties to a whole new level. With a great storyline but far too much emotion, the movie is engaging but leaves the audience emotionally exhausted.

To kick start the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, we see the return of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) — survivors of the 74th annual Hunger Games — embark on a ‘Victor’s Tour.’ With rebellion brewing in the backdrop, they are once again summoned by the Capitol to participate in the 75th annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell).

If the first movie is not fresh in your mind, it is hard to keep up with the developments in the storyline. President Snow (Donald Sutherland), in his last effort to appease the Districts, scratches out the old rule of re-contest by announcing that the tributes (participants) for the upcoming games will be victors of the previous games.

The game that unfolds is as ruthless as its players. It shares striking similarities with modern-day Pakistan, where regional warfare can take a bloody form. In a tropical setting, the contestants must battle the forces of nature and each other.

Lawrence manages to win over the audience once again after winning a Best Actress Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. Emotionally tormented by her role in the previous games, Katniss is even more fragile and vulnerable than before. But now that she is forced to undertake the same journey, she turns her pain into strength and driven by a burning hatred for the Capitol is determined to beat the odds once again.

Along with a solid acting line-up, the movie stands strong on the fashion front. One of the futuristic designs donned by Lawrence is the white wedding dress which transforms into a long navy blue evening gown with wings. The dress makes her look like a mockingjay — a bird seen as a symbol of hope by the people of Panem.

While it excels in many regards, the film falls short in delivering a crowd-pleasing romance. Katniss’s relationship with Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) lacks chemistry. Also, the games are different this time, as the battle is as much against the arena as it is against the other tributes. With a new disaster lurking at every interval, Peeta and Katniss are thrown into unlikely alliances and fight alongside tributes from other districts.

Katniss suffers many close calls during the movie; whether it’s just sheer luck or others working to keep her alive, is something you will have to watch and find out. To fully enjoy the stunning visuals, graphics and powerful music, the film must be watched on a big screen.

Rating: 4.5 out of five stars

Mariam Essa is a sub-editor for The Express Tribune web desk. She tweets @MariamJawedEssa 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 15^th, 2013.