The Hunger Games: Catching Fire *** (PG-13) Now we have two films based on the popular young-adult novels about the saga of heroic lass, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who is forced into televised combat in a dystopian future, as a distraction from the wretched lives the era’s One-Percenters are brutally inflicting on the masses. This series of death matches appears to be the natural descent from today’s "reality" programming, which serves the populace an endless parade of people they can be glad they’re not, in straits worse than their own. In the first, Katniss and her friend Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) survived and became cultural icons. We now learn that the glory was transitory, and fraught with more dangers from those on high, who fear their popularity could inspire rebellion.
In this round, they’re forced back to the arena against 22 others, from which only one will be allowed to survive. The dangers and f/x are ramped up from the first, though a considerable, if not excessive, amount of exposition is required to get them there. Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci return in their campy roles. She plays the sort of overly florid ditz usually associated with Helena Bonham-Carter; he epitomizes every smarmy game-show host and carny barker we’ve seen. Donald Sutherland extends his oppressive presidency, with help from Philip Seymour Hoffman arrives as the new puppetmaster for the games. Woody Harrelson stays on the franchise gravy train for another ride.
The first film was a huge success, and satisfied viewers on its own, even knowing further adventures were lurking on the bookshelves for sequelizing. Partial spoiler alert - after nearly 2 ½ hours, this one finishes with a cliff-hanger that screams for the next feature, akin to the end of the middle segment of the original Star Wars trilogy. Two more films are in the works. If you lack the patience or life expectancy to wait for them, either read the novels or hold off on seeing this one until the next installment is ready for release. (11/22/13)