The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Theatrical Release Date: 2013 11 22 (USA - IMAX) / 2013 11 22 (USA)

UPC: 031398181521

Studio: Lionsgate

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity]

Summary: The Hunger Games saga continues in this sequel that finds a revolution brewing as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) take a "Victor's Tour" of the districts, and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) plots their downfall during preparations for the Quarter Quell, which only occurs every 25 years in celebration of the Capitol's victory over the districts. Hoping to put an end to the growing threat of rebellion, President Snow announces that the Quell's tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors -- guaranteeing Katniss a place in the arena. Though Katniss vows to keep Peeta safe even if it means sacrificing her own life, her fellow tributes have a different plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Science Fiction

Awards: Best Supporting Actor – Detroit Film Critics Society Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson
"Surviving the Game: Making Catching Fire" documentary (Blu-ray exclusive)
Deleted scenes
Divergent sneak peek

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 03/07/2014

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DHMA, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 146 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
1. Scene 1 [4:34]
2. Scene 2 [4:58]
3. Scene 3 [4:32]
4. Scene 4 [6:00]
5. Scene 5 [6:49]
6. Scene 6 [5:05]
7. Scene 7 [4:33]
8. Scene 8 [4:58]
9. Scene 9 [5:49]
10. Scene 10 [4:34]
11. Scene 11 [3:16]
12. Scene 12 [7:00]
13. Scene 13 [5:59]
14. Scene 14 [5:23]
15. Scene 15 [4:03]
16. Scene 16 [7:15]
17. Scene 17 [4:13]
18. Scene 18 [3:02]
19. Scene 19 [8:49]
20. Scene 20 [5:58]
21. Scene 21 [8:30]
22. Scene 22 [5:55]
23. Scene 23 [5:49]
24. Scene 24 [16:13]

Tracie Cooper

Francis Lawrence may not have had to fight for his life while directing the second installment in The Hunger Games series, but his task, metaphorically speaking, was not entirely unlike entering the dreaded arena: He had to appease the series' passionate fan base without alienating those unfamiliar with the story, depict a wide variety of environments, and avoid the trappings of adapting a middle book. Frankly, the odds sucked. The good news is that he prevailed anyway.

The key to the success of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is its steadfast adherence to the novel's central theme: Surviving the Games and leaving the arena are not mutually exclusive. The film once again begins in the dreary District 12, where Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) have literally and figuratively been set apart from the rest of the community. Their newfound wealth and luxurious new homes in the "Victor's Village" leave them physically isolated from those who continue to starve under the Capitol's brutal regime; more importantly, their experiences in the Games have left them both with acute post-traumatic stress disorder. The once steely Katniss cries frequently and suffers from nightmares and hallucinations. Peeta is solemn and depressed. Their mentor Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) continues to anesthetize himself with alcohol. While the victors continue to fight the wars in their minds, a very real spark of revolution is spreading throughout the impoverished districts.

The film transitions seamlessly to the Victory Tour, wherein Katniss and Peeta are forced to sing the praises of the Capitol in each of the districts in front of an audience that includes the families of those killed in the Games. Prior to the tour, Katniss was addressed by President Snow himself (played to perfection by Donald Sutherland), who challenged her to quash all thoughts of revolution lest her district be razed and family murdered. Initially, his intent was to make Katniss a pariah by forcing her to act as a tool of the Capitol; however, the oppressed masses remain emboldened, forcing Snow to introduce what is referred to as a "wrinkle." The tributes for the 75th Hunger Games will be reaped from a pool of existing victors in a power move that he hopes will reinforce the iron fist of the Capitol.

Catching Fire's tone evolves smoothly from barely contained anxiety to foreboding to betrayal to grim acceptance with very little exposition -- a difficult feat for a film that is driven by action rather than dialogue. There is virtually no dead weight among the cast. Lawrence continues to shine as the reluctant hero Katniss, while Hutcherson imparts a level of depth to his character that was missing in the first movie. Sassy Johanna Mason (Jena Malone), who uses her TV spot to curse at the Capitol audience, is a welcome foil for serious Katniss, and fan favorite Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) wields a trident like nobody's business. Francis Lawrence made a wise decision in emphasizing the camaraderie that takes place inside the arena: It would have been a much more difficult feat to distinguish this film from a watery version of the last had Katniss played the game alone.

Catching Fire is tightly paced with very little filler. No line or character is wasted. Even the eccentric, Capitol-born Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) has evolved from the first movie and has become attached to "her" tributes, albeit in a touchingly clueless kind of way. Philip Seymour Hoffman is flawless as the new head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (you can all but see the chess pieces moving with his every word), and Donald Sutherland plays President Snow as though he were the love child of Hannibal Lecter and Voldemort. The film's greatest achievement, however, is its refusal to whitewash the material, condescend to its audience, or perpetuate the myth that the good guys always win, grow up, get married, have babies, and live happily ever after. Despite moments of levity, this is a brutal movie (a success in and of itself given the PG-13 rating) that comes in like a hurricane and provides a needed ass kicking to the schmaltzy, supernatural love triangles that have plagued young-adult fiction in a post-Harry Potter world. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Cast and Crew: James Newton Howard  Composer (Music Score) 
Jon Kilik  Producer 
Louise Rosner  Executive Producer 
Simon Beaufoy  Screenwriter 
Francis Lawrence  Director 
Suzanne Collins  Executive Producer 
Suzanne Collins  Screenwriter 
Nina Jacobson  Producer 
Alli Shearmur  Executive Producer 
Joseph Drake  Executive Producer 
Michael DeBruyn  Screenwriter 
Jennifer Lawrence  Actor 
Josh Hutcherson  Actor 
Liam Hemsworth  Actor 
Elizabeth Banks  Actor 
Stanley Tucci  Actor 
Woody Harrelson  Actor 
Jena Malone  Actor 
Willow Shields  Actor 
Paula Malcolmson  Actor 
Lenny Kravitz  Actor 
Donald Sutherland  Actor 
Philip Seymour Hoffman  Actor 
Amanda Plummer  Actor 
Lynn Cohen  Actor 
Patrick St. Esprit  Actor 
Meta Golding  Actor 
Bruno Gunn  Actor 
Alan Ritchson  Actor 
E. Robert Mitchell  Actor 
Maria Howell  Actor 
Stephanie Leigh Schlund  Actor 
Sam Claflin  Actor 
Jeffrey Wright  Actor 
Jack Quaid  Actor 
Taylor St.Clair  Actor 
Sandra Ellis Lafferty  Actor 
Afemo Omilami  Actor 
Kimberley Drummond  Actor 
Deena Beasley  Actor 
Leon Lamar  Actor 
Mandy Neuhaus  Actor 
Erika Bierman  Actor 
Wilbur Fitzgerald  Actor 
Jill Jane Clements  Actor 
James Sutton  Actor 
Megan Hayes  Actor 
Stef Dawson  Actor 
Toby Jones  Actor 
James Logan  Actor 
Judd Derek Lormand  Actor 
Elena Sanchez  Actor 
John Casino  Actor 
Marian Green  Actor 
Daniel Bernhardt  Actor 
Ravi Naidu  Actor 
Franco Castan  Actor 

Country: USA