The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I think this instalment was the best movie in the series. It has the perfect balance of action and storyline. It expands the world with more backstory and characters, and the effects were better so it was more convincing and we felt like we were part of this world. The casting was quite fitting.

From the acting to the sets to the special effects, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is an exceptional film. This movie is long, but it doesn't feel watered down or stretched out - there is plenty of story and action to fill the time. Plus, Jennifer Lawrence doesn't have to carry the movie on her own. The supporting cast does an excellent job, as well. This film can't really stand on its own, but it's still a fun ride and a well-done adaptation of the book.

Fearing an uprising over Katniss and Peeta's success at The Hunger Games, he changed the rules for the upcoming 75th games, the pair are right back inside the deadly games, only this time, the competition is much tougher.

With the release of the new film just around the corner, I wanted to revisit them all, my feelings haven't changed, I still think that this is the best of the lot so far, I think it's better than the original film.

I think it's a little slow to start, the impression you get early on is that it's an in depth look at life for Katniss and Peeta after the games, but when the twist comes, the film really does open up.

It's not overlong, I'm glad they didn't push it out any further.

There are some exciting sequences, these games really do provide a few thrills.

Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss, her performance for me is superior to her previous one, she's excellent, as are Philip Seymour Hoffman and Donald Sutherland. Toby Jones, still doesn't work for me here.

Best of the lot for me.

8/10.

This could easily have been a repeat of the first story; what this film does well is act as a bridge from the battle royale gimmick towards the politics and rebellion coming to the forefront.

Immediately the cinematography is better. The capitol looks vibrant, stunning and disturbing. The shaky cam is thankfully gone. It's rare for such a drastically positive leap in presentation inside a franchise. The scene that transitions into IMAX ratio is really quite incredible.

The caliber of actors also increases with the addition of Plutarch, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, continuing the solid casting of this series.

The writing and editing are a step up as well; scenes flow into each other logically and no cuts feel as jarring as the other entries in the franchise.

I do however find the love triangle still incredibly tedious and unnecessary. Sad Gale is a super boring character, and all time spent with him feels wasted to me.

The score also feels pretty perfunctory - nothing wows me like Harry Potter's incredible soundtracks (sue me, it's the gold standard for young adult film series).

The CGI mandrills didn't look great and my last complaint (I did quite like the film, honest) is that the reasoning for the selection of champions felt rather contrived.

Overall Catching Fire really does elevate its source material, and justifies its existence by taking logical steps into becoming something more than a battle royale.

Ever since I first saw it in theaters, Catching Fire has been one of my favorite movies of all time. It's so much better than the first one. It explores the story's political conflict more deeply and greatly expands on the dystopian universe.

The new director gives it a fresh and improved vision. The first one had audiences criticizing the shaky and desaturated camerawork and this sequel fixed it. Even though one this movie involves Katniss and Peeta competing in the games again, it never feels like a repeat of the first one. They understand that viewers already know how the games work and take advantage of the chance to explore new concepts with it.

Catching Fire should be an example to all filmmakers of how to do a good sequel.