★★★
The Hunger Games is back, and there are compelling elements in
Shooting Fire that go beyond taking care of the franchise. I was a fan of the first
Hunger Games, but Francis Lawrence here ups the ante from assembling the now-familiar costumes, characters and decent story to include continuous dramatic tension and very high stakes. The big achievement here is Katniss because we sympathize with her dilemma, respect her integrity and recognize the difficulty of her decisions. She grows before our eyes as she works to protect her family, Peeta, and Gale while increasingly wanting to support the rising resistance to the Capital. And focused tightly on Katniss’ arc,
Shooting Fire addresses several ideas.
Of course, the film has an anti-authoritarian element to it. Donald Sutherland’s cold-blooded, manipulative
Shooting Fire goes beyond Snow to make its anti-authoritarianism by sending in Peacekeepers who look like the Storm Troopers of
Star Wars to rough up audiences during Katniss’ tour, whip Gale in public and beat Cinna in front of Katniss as she ascends to the Games. Authority comes off badly in this film.
President Snow could create this idea on his own as he threatens everyone Katniss’ loves and tries to have her killed by changing the rules of the Third Quarter Quell. But
There’s also a continuation of the media parody from the first film. And here it’s the same elements. There are ridiculous public appearances by Katniss and Peeta that are stiff and staged as their erstwhile media manager Effie determinedly ignores reality in favor of her scripts and broadcast times, and Stanley Tucci again chews into the role of host Caesar Flickerman, bringing a perfectly pitched exaggeration of a show host to the screen. In
Catching Fire, however, those opposed to authority and the media that enables it subvert their media appearances and take control long enough to send a message to the rising rebellion. In a pageant in the Capitol, the clothes of Katniss and Peeta ignite in a fire connoting rebellion, and when Katniss later appears on a broadcast in her wedding dress at the command of Snow, the dress transforms into a Mockingjay, her symbol for the rebellion. In the 74th Game that ended the first H
unger Games, the grist for the media mill in subverted the media and used it to fight with when Katniss forced the game master to spare both her and Peeta. That same subversion occurs again at the end of the Third Quarter Quell here when Katniss destroys the game area and is airlifted out of the arena. The media isn't able to exploit its subjects in the either of these Games.
Catching Fire is a great time spent at the movies. It has an interesting story with several unexpected turns, it has sustained drama that keeps interest high, and it has visuals that are fun to look at. Some of Effie’s costumes have so much plumage that they almost look soft focus, and even throwaways like the technologically-advanced train racing too fast through a verdant forest make you look. Add to this the likeable characters, and
Catching Fire is a fine film pleasure.
