![]() ![]() More than half the film unfolds before the 75th annual Hunger Games actually begin. Having defied the capital once already, the couple signifies hope to all those who feel oppressed, just as their story galvanizes real-world auds into feeling the same way. The story opens as Katniss and Peeta make their victory tour, during which they are permitted not only to observe how the other 11 districts live, but also to glimpse the nascent signs of rebellion throughout the country (an unspecified portion of the United States set in a not-so-distant future, ably represented by location shooting in Atlanta). The country’s corrupt figurehead, President Snow (Donald Sutherland), doesn’t take kindly to being outwitted, however, and his latest scheme to keep the people of Panem in check will pit the survivors of previous Hunger Games against one another. ![]() Making good on Scarlett O’Hara’s vow, she and her clan will never be hungry again, thanks to a shrewd move that forced the game-makers to accept both her and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) as winners. SEE ALSO: ‘Catching Fire’ on Track for Mega $150 Million Debutįortunes have changed significantly for Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) since the starvation days of life in District 12. Both qualities come strongly into play here, as the director finds the perfect balance between emotion and excitement. Good, then, that the reins have passed from “Hunger Games” helmer Gary Ross to Francis Lawrence - a director with a firm grasp of large-canvas filmmaking, equally skilled at tense, white-knuckle sci-fi (“I Am Legend”) and bald, unapologetic romance (as evidenced by his excellent yet underseen circus swooner, “Water for Elephants”). On that level - and despite its hefty $691 million worldwide haul - “The Hunger Games” was a disappointment, clumsily shot and strangely cast ( Jennifer Lawrence was nearly a decade too old, while Josh Hutcherson was hardly the stocky baker’s son readers had pictured). Unlike the authors of those book series, Collins got her start in screenwriting, which might explain her almost instinctively cinematic sense of storytelling, in which characters and scenes are described so vividly, fans can scarcely wait to see how they will be translated onscreen. PHOTOS: ‘Catching Fire’ Premieres in London ![]()
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