HUNGER GAMES : Catching Fire - archive from 28th November 2013

Saw the next instalment of the 'HUNGER GAMES' trilogy last night - 'CATCHING FIRE'. Hugely anticipated, eagerly awaited, much lauded - the moviegoing public have thus far been kind to this growing series with massive box office so far, and steadily climbing. 

This takes off almost immediately where the first film left off with winning Tributes Katniss and Peter being hailed heroes by the Districts much to the ire of President Snow who senses a Revolution in the offing by the oppressed downtrodden great unwashed who reside out in those Districts, far away from the privileged Capital. Being the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games a 'quarter quell' is permissible and so all former victors from previous Hunger Games are brought out of comfortable 'retirement' to fight for their lives once again, with the pre-ordained intention that Katniss & Peter will not survive. And so it goes - the peasants are revolting, the rulers are sweating and so the bully-boy tactics begin to keep the oppressed oppressed and the downtrodden downtrodden! Meanwhile there is a lengthy build up to the Games which seems to go on forever before we get down & dirty with all manner of nastiness in the Games, which then almost seem over before they have hit their straps. Contestants die as expected, there are all manner of devilish tricks to knock them off and once again it is all about survival of the fittest (not much new here except the mechanics of the Games, and what the GamesMaster can concoct to throw at them.) 

However, needless to say all does not go according to schedule and there are other plans afoot . . . which are loosely played out at the end setting up the third instalment in 2015! Jennifer Lawrence now seems more comfortable in the Katniss shoes as the reluctant hero; Donald Sutherland is full of smiling assassin nastiness as the President; Woody Harrelson plays the drunken scatterbrain mentor amiably; Philip Seymour Hoffman is great in everything he does but here channels Owen Davian (From M:I3) to great effect; and Stanley Tucci is delightful as the Games Host crossing Danny La Rue with Graham Norton! 

I came out of the theatre wanting to see more Games action, but the film nonetheless moved along at a steady pace and two hours was up quickly, so certainly worth the price of entry.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-