In ‘Catching Fire,’ young heroes seem truly human
Here is a summary of Richard Roeper’s review of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which appeared in Tuesday’s Sun-Times:
Katniss Everdeen is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Hunting in the woods outside District 12, Katniss has a turkey in her sight, but at the last moment she sees a vision of a boy she had to kill in “The Hunger Games.” She falls to the ground in haunted agony.
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is also plagued by night terrors, as is Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son from District 12, the good guy Katniss is not in love with but must pretend to be in love with, for the near future and perhaps much lon- ger. These two are the only survivors from the most recent Hunger Games, meaning 22 other children and young adults were killed in that grotesque tournament.
This is one of the reasons why the “Hunger Games” movies resonate so deeply with fans. The children and teenagers in these stories come across as real human beings, not cartoonishly one-dimensional action figures.
Jennifer Lawrence is one of our best young actresses, and she shines as the stubborn, courageous, vulnerable and (sometimes reluctantly) heroic Katniss. It doesn’t hurt that “Catching Fire” also features such outstanding returning talents as Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Banks. These are major talents taking their roles seriously, even when the proceedings go over the top.
Still reeling from their Hunger Games experience, Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are on a mandated “Victory Tour,” but the propaganda goes sideways. As the giant video screens in each district display images of the tributes who didn’t survive, as the families of the victims stand with their neighbors, it’s increasingly obvious the populace has had it and is getting restless.
“Catching Fire” is all about that coming storm. President Snow (Sutherland in full hissing snake mode) would like nothing more than to squash the people’s Mockingjay of hope (that would be Katniss), but he doesn’t want to create a martyr in the process. Enter Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who comes up with a nifty plan to get Katniss and Peeta back into the arena.
With a budget nearly twice the size of the first “Hunger Games” movie, steady direction from Francis Lawrence (taking the reins from Gary Ross), a strong script by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, and some great production values, “Catching Fire” makes only the occasional misstep.
Overall, it’s a worthy sequel to the original and a fitting setup to the finale of the series, which will be divided into two movies a la “Twilight.”
At heart this is the story of a girl thrust (against her wishes) into the forefront of a revolution.
One can understand why an entire beleaguered nation would follow Katniss into the fire. Rating:
½