Once Peeta and Katniss "won" the 74th Hunger Games, they stopped being regular people. This is more so with Katniss than Peeta, but he is still affected by their shared experience in the arena. Katniss has become an unwitting symbol for rebellion by the 12 districts against the Capitol. The seeds for this were sown back in The Hunger Games, and now the stakes have been ratcheted up to unbearable levels.

There is tension everywhere the victors from District 12 go, simply because the other poorer districts see them as the rebellion and the Capitol is desperate to quash any and all ideas about such a thing from occurring. That is the difference between the heroes and villains of this sprawling story. Katniss has all the support to keep her alive as their primary goal. President Snow's sole aim is to bring down Katniss, thus squashing any notion of rebellion and an overthrow of an increasingly corrupt, fascist government.

Since they won the Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss now have to embark on a "Victory Tour" throughout the districts as a reward. Of course, being the twisted world this is (one where children are killed gladiatorial style as "tribute" to a past rebellion), there isn't much reward to it at all. Katniss can't seem to function all that well in the wake of their victory the previous year. Her family and those she loves are largely out of immediate danger, but President Snow watches her with great interest, determined to find any way to break her down. She has Gale, who has a far more substantial role than in the first film, though that clashes with her buried feelings for Peeta.


Jennifer Lawrence once again imbues Katniss with this determined personality that seems to have hardened since the first film. It's hard to remember that she's a little girl who's been forced to grow up just a bit too fast and lived her entire life in desperation. Lawrence has become a star in the years between the release of these films, yet we're truly seeing Katniss onscreen and not Lawrence masquerading as Katniss. She is ably supported by a returning cast also increasingly comfortable in their roles this time. The bonds between Katniss and both of her male suitors are stronger here than in the first film. Both Gale and Peeta worthy of her love, and there are many times when she needs the men to get through her various ordeals.



Katniss is the fulcrum by which the plot revolves around, and she definitely doesn't disappoint.  The film spends much of its beginning acts showing the chess match between Katniss and President Snow and its effect on the other districts in Panem. Many of the districts, especially the poorer ones, support the idea of open rebellion, only to be swiftly put down by Snow and his Peacekeepers. They resort to brutal measures, including public executions and floggings. The idea is to hurt Katniss piece by little piece.

Lawrence does spend a good deal of the film crying or in distress because that is precisely what Katniss is experiencing. A lead Peacekeeper named Commander Thread is especially unyielding, making a memorable impression in his few brief scenes. A new Gamemaker named Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is introduced (to replace a now dead Seneca Crane) and his true motives shift throughout the film. Indeed, it becomes increasingly difficult for Katniss to determine who she can fully trust. And that's before they even get to the Quarter Quell Games.



More so than the first film, the new version of the Hunger Games is basically treated as an afterthought. But the rule change of the previous victors being chosen do give an opportunity to bring new personalities into the mix. They work largely as gangbusters. Many fans have balked surprisingly at Jena Malone's portrayal of an unhinged Johanna Ross, but I enjoyed her character. I like to see her as what Katniss would have been if she didn't have her support system in place. Johanna is a fun character, as is Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), a technical expert victor, and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), who is destined to be a fan favorite.


The Quarter Quell does distinguish itself from the first film's Hunger Games by presenting a much different set of challenges for the gladiators. A poisonous fog is particularly effective, much to my surprise because that part of the novel read as rather ridiculous to me. The film's ending was expected by myself because I have read the novel so I liked it, but I can see how non-readers might feel that the story just stops at an arbitrary point.



It's part of the "Middle Chapter Syndrome" that happens in every movie trilogy. This is setting up for the final chapter(s) of the story (Mockingjay will be split into two parts). Catching Fire runs in a more leisurely pace than The Hunger Games, which was taut and well-paced, but it expands on the established story very well. The final chapters have a lot to live up to at this point. If it can stick the landing, this will be one heck of a ride.