“Catching Fire” is to “The Hunger Games” series as “The Empire Strikes Back” is to the “Star Wars” saga. It is the transitional story between the oppression of a group of people and the final triumph of the formerly downtrodden.
The new installment starts with the format established by the previous film: Katniss’s preparation for the games. But as the story is unfolding its many intricately laid layers, much foreshadowing is going on that generates a sense of anticipation for what’s about to happen next, as well as what’s going to happen in the next film.
That being said, “Catching Fire” was a phenomenal film. It had all of the elements that made “The Hunger Games” a huge success: action, romance and a surprise ending.
Unlike its predecessor, the movie makes an indictment against the inappropriate use of media to deliberately give people biased information and/or present outright lies as the truth. We see it every day in reality TV shows and the news, but “Catching Fire” presents this media manipulation in a way that shows the viewer exactly what’s being done, how it’s being done and, most importantly, why it’s being done: to gain control over the people.
The script was well written, the acting was superb and the special effects were done perfectly. Both in design and execution there was not one “over-the-top” sequence in the production. While it would have been very easy for the filmmakers to make the movie a visual spectacle and wow the audience with special effects, it was pleasing to see the effects used to help tell the story and move the picture forward.
GRADE: A
Runtime: 146 minutes
