The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

*****
Release Date: November 22nd 2013

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

Director: Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine)

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes everything to the next level. It's predecessor was a starting point, opening up more than the games. This second outing in the 'quadrilogy' is darker and grittier, what with assault, murder and torture within the first half hour it's a wonder how it keeps the low rating (a 12A) as young adults are made to feel like adults.

Catching Fire comes nearly a year after the 74th annual Hunger Games. District twelve survivors Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutcherson) are preparing for the victor's tour where they must visit all 12 districts. Before they set off, Katniss is visited by President Snow (Sutherland). He warns and threatens to hurt her family and friends if she doesn't follow his rules during the tour. A rebellion has emerged which see the districts revolting against the Capitol.

As President Snow and the Capitol try to calm the rebellion, Katniss and Peeta are soon preping for the next Hunger Games, and every 25 years it is know as the Quarter Quell where the year's Tributes are in for something special (you'll have to see to know more!).

Some old characters return that are familiar. Haymitch (Harrelson) is still their drunk mentor, who lives in Victory Road (with the only other victors of D12). Gale (Hemsworth) the other male in the love triangle with Katniss, doesn't get any particular strong parts apart from having to deal with some torture. Effie (Banks) is still the quivering, overbearing presenter of D12's tributes, Cinna (Kravitz) goes all out with the costume designs and Stanley Tucci is still as strange as ever as T.V presenter Caesar Flickerman. These familiar faces do nothing more than help the main protagonist; it's all about the female hero, and Lawrence performs just as well as before.

With the old comes the new, and they are welcome attributes. The more gutsier of these is Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Games-maker. He tries his best to make Katniss' life miserable, and cover up the hope that's spreading across Panem by injecting fear in the heart of the people.

Where the first installment sets the bar, Catching Fire raises the stakes and it's not just about the games; everyone's lives are at risk, and everyone is fighting for hope.

The new arena is full of new surprises. Rabid monkeys, death defying mist, freak storms and tidal waves are a few of the treats in store for our heroes. If you've read the book then you'll be struggling to think if Director Francis Lawrence has missed anything out. If Catching Fire is anything to go by, then we won't be disappointed when Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 come round. Bring on late 2014!

Overview: This will please all who are fans of both the books and the first film. Forget about Twilight, it's all about The Hunger Games.