Movie Review: CATCHING FIRE–ONE OSCAR IS NOT ENOUGH!

After Gary Ross's outstanding achievement last year with The Hunger Games, to me, Catching Fire– Francis Lawrence's first film in the series of The Hunger Games (written by Suzanne Collins), is more dramatic, more ironic and more unpredictable. There is no doubt that this second installment of the trilogy made millions in the first opening week.

As in The Hunger Games, I can easily guess what is going to happen next, who is going to die and who isn't. This time, Catching Fire really does wow me because everything I see isn't simply what it really is. For instance, most of those fighters in the arena supported each other, while earlier they have declared to kill each one of them with no hesitation. The smartest guy in the team, who trapped people with his scientific brain, died because of his own trap. Though Francis Lawrence's Catching Fire forced me to stick my butt to the cinema's chair for nearly two hours and then made me wait for a whole year for the next part, I highly estimated the movie.

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are back in their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Their fake affair (Katniss's, actually) is noticed by President Snow, a heartless dictator. And the nightmare continues when he announces some victors of previous Hunger Games will be selected from the reaping ball (the ball people in Panem use to do the lucky draw) to become next tributes in the Quarter Quell edition–the 75th Annual Hunger Game. Katniss was the only female survivor in District 12, so she is chosen. Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson, is called from the reaping ball as part of the male tribute, but Peeta volunteers to take his place. The fake lovebirds are together in the arena again.

I assume Mr. Lawrence has managed a good job in the sequel. He captured the look that Gary Ross built in The Hunger Games. Everything is shiny bright when it comes to the Capitol and its glamour is a contrast to the devastated murky atmosphere in the Districts. Another Lawrence–Jennifer Lawrence is such an incredible actress! When she appears in this second installment, she makes the audience believe in her fear and her obsession, as she suffers the trauma of being forced to cause the deaths other fellow tributes. Her acting was so good that through Katniss, she convinced me the way Katniss convinced people in Panem.

There're two great scenes that I find unforgettable. The first one is when 'the-girl-on-fire'–Katniss Everdeen on fire again in the Capitol. I remember how she twirled herself in the first film and the charming scarlet dress got fireworks in the lower part. This time, another twirl and her wedding dress becomes even more stunning in a black bursting-in-flames mockingjay outfit. The second one is when Katniss destroys the arena with her arrow along with the wire and the lightning bolt while she is put to fire and sword. She looks so weak but then she is so strong.

I found it was annoying when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey put a sudden end and made me wait for its sequel but Catching Fire is the kind of film that I find relevant and worth waiting for its following part–The Mockingjay. Literally, Katniss's arrow does not reach the sky-high height, but it does reach beyond the audience's expectation and this is satisfying.

This movie should win some Oscars no matter what!

-----

(RMIT Vietnam - Professional Writing - Opinion Writing - Movie Review on Vanity Fair Magazine)