Last time we saw her, Katniss Everdeen was making her triumphant return home after miraculously surviving the kid-killing arena. But it wouldn't be a teen franchise if she wasn't back for more and this time, everyone has grown up. The second film in the Hunger Games trilogy is more fast-paced and frantic than its predecessor. It also seems less preoccupied with its dubious morality and is happy to chug along on the energy of the action.
All in all, this works in its favour and generally makes for better entertainment. Jennifer Lawrence resumes her role as Katniss, managing to make a character that could easily be another Bella Swan both powerful and sympathetic. This time, she's being forced to face up to the consequences of survival. Having escaped the arena with her (supposed) lover Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), while her real boyfriend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) languishes at home, she is trapped between her loyalty to the revolutionary spirit of her people and fear of what the tyrannical President Snow might do in retaliation.
Unluckily for her, his revenge is brutal: he decides to stage a 75th Hunger Games that reaps its participants from the existing pool of victors. So she and Peeta, after a lacklustre performance as star-crossed lovers, are back where they started. But now, their opponents are older, faster and smarter, and the arena has been transformed into a punishing tropical prison.
It's easy to be dismissive of the young adult franchise but The Hunger Games is definitely a lot better than its vampiric counterpart. The series has a real star in Lawrence, and Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson provide excellent comic support as Effie and Haymitch. There are a couple of scenes that don't really ring true: the dynamic between Katniss and her family is a bit stale, and the love triangle doesn't work, mainly because Gale seems like a leading man forced into the wings, and Peeta is just quite annoying. Nonetheless, it's riveting stuff, and I really wish they'd hurry up and make the next one.
Also, was going to leave a link to the trailer but I'm sure everyone has seen it and this is much funnier…
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