At the end of the first installment to the Hunger Games trilogy, everything appears to be well in District 12. Hand-in-hand, Katniss and Peeta return home to wild cheers and praise from the members of their district. The viewers’ happiness for the two victors doesn’t last long, for President Snow promises the audience he will wreak havoc on Katniss Everdeen when he flashes his signature, scheming glare before storming off into the distance.

The beginning of Catching Fire depicts Katniss and Peeta’s almost non-existent relationship. However, along their Victory Tour throughout each district their relationship grows stronger, as does one thing that will change their lives forever—the uprising. Despite Katniss and Peeta’s efforts to defuse the uprising, as ordered by President Snow, citizens were still beaten and murdered after showing their support towards Katniss’ rebellion in the previous Games.

The time has come for the 75^th annual Hunger Games in which the tributes must be reaped from the existing pool of victors. Of course, Katniss is the only female victor from District 12 so she must inevitably enter the arena once more. Haymitch was selected as the male tribute before Peeta nobly volunteered in his place. Once again Katniss and Peeta are forced to fight to the death in an arena. Nevertheless, they managed to make allies and even friends. Will they survive together or will they succumb to death on live television due to President Snow’s venomous wrath?

So many fantastic movies have been released this year, but The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is light years ahead of them. I expected great things from this movie, but I didn’t expect it to be so gut-wrenchingly impactful. The message the film emits to its audience is a powerful one. I understood the message while reading the book, but the film’s director Francis Lawrence portrayed it so much better on screen. I couldn’t say it for the first film, but for once I think the movie was better than the book.

Catching Fire transcends genres and demographics more than any movie I’ve ever seen. There’s something in it for everyone. But most importantly it has meaning.

If you’ve seen the film, I’m sure you’re as impressed with the ending as I am. If you haven’t yet, be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster and whiplash from that plot twist.

Overall it was phenomenal. I’d give it a 10 out of 10.

14rmoravek@usd489.com