The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Directed by Francis Lawrence

(PG-13)

***

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Jennifer Lawrence “does nothing casually,” said David Edelstein in New York magazine. In this surprisingly effective second installment of a dystopian quartet, the recent Oscar winner has much to accomplish: Playing teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen again, she has to juggle love interests, tamp down a class rebellion she ignited, and face off against other former winners of the to-the-death gladiator competition that her world’s cruel government stages every year. But she bears “the face of a warrior who kills in sorrow rather than anger,” and that helps make the spectacle feel as biting as a PG-13 crowd-pleaser can be. A “wily” Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the contest’s mastermind, adding new punch to an already first-rate supporting cast, said Kevin Fallon in TheDailyBeast.com. But this 146-minute bridge episode drags at times, because its plot too closely echoes the original’s. But “forgive the rough patches” and the “frustratingly abrupt” ending, said Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. “Pop-culture escapism can be thrilling when dished out by experts,” and this dark, subversive sequel stands as proof.