Katniss and Peeta (Lawrence and Hutcherson) won the Hunger Games by challenging the authority of President Snow (Sutherland), and now they are paraded around the districts to soothe the spark of rebellion. But they only make things worse, so Snow instructs new Gamesmaker Plutarch (Hoffman) to kill these meddlesome kids in the next games, a Quarter Quell that has several evil twists. Through all of this, Katniss only wants to protect the good-hearted Peeta with the help of their mentor Haymitch (Harrelson). And this means that she forgets to notice what's really going on.

Much more than the first film, this episode captures novelist Suzanne Collins' narrative style, seeing everything through Katniss' flawed perspective. We still get the occasional cutaway to Snow and Plutarch plotting their next brutal move, but the main field of action is cleverly shown through limited, distracted eyes that catch all the details but don't quite connect the dots. It's a remarkable achievement for screenwriters Beaufoy and deBruyn (aka Oscar-winner Michael Arndt).

Meanwhile, the the character relationships are even more subtly complicated, giving the actors plenty to work with. Katniss still refuses to choose between her public partner Peeta and her private friend Gale (Hemsworth), and the scenes between them tellingly reflect her indecision and the strong connection she has with both. Her interaction with Haymitch, Snow, her sister Prim (Shields) and her designer Cinna (Kravitz) also evolve significantly. As do her shifting connections with competitors Finnick (Claflin), Johanna (Malone), Beetee and Wiress (Wright and Plummer).

In other words, this is a rare blockbuster packed with subtext and provocative themes. Even when things get extremely brutal, we are gripped by the constantly unnerving action and character detail. It's also packed with exhilarating set-pieces, including the final sequence, which reveals the saga's true trajectory. And what gets deeply under our skin is that way director Lawrence puts us into Katniss' shoes, forcing us to think about issues of loyalty and justice in ways movies rarely do.

themes, violence

8.Nov.13