The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Bring on Mockingjay.
That is all I can say after watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
We rejoin Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) after their success in the 74th Hunger Games - which we saw in the first film.
They are set to embark on a "Victory Tour", visiting the 12 districts to pay homage to those who fell (were killed) during the Hunger Games, and reaffirm the Capital's strength over the Districts. It is a ploy designed to keep the general population loyal to President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and quash any thought of an uprising.
A classic love triangle, as seems to be the common theme of young adult novels that make the silver screen, guides us through the film as Everdeen struggles through her emotions for Mellark - who she fell for in the Arena to help both survive - and fellow District 12-native and longtime love Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth).
The triangle is one of my chief criticisms of the film, but only because of its popularity in modern cinema. A lot of recent films directed at this target audience - City of Bones and the Twilight series are two off the top of my head - tend to have the triangle thrown in. Whether it is for extra drama, more character conflict or more material to play with I don't know.
Kudos must go to Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth for making it at least a little believable, but there is no doubting it is getting stale - for me anyway.
Snow's rule is akin to historically evil bad guys - your Hitlers and Stalins - with his attempt to thwart and quash "rebellion" the source of much contempt from the film's characters. Snow his driven by greed and his quest for absolute power, hosting large, lavish and ultimately expensive parties and events while much of the population suffers in poverty-like conditions. As is mentioned directly through dialogue in the film and visually by the set dressing, Snow and the wealthy few that live in the Capital live to excess. They even have a beverage is designed to be drunk only when you are full - "so you can keep on eating!".
Woody Harrelson continues his run of silver screen success (Hunger Games, Now You See Me, Zombieland) as Haymitch Abernathy, a former winner of the Games from District 12, who also acts as a mentor to Katniss and Peeta. He plays a drunk uncle type character: wise from his years of experience and always trying to look out for the best courses of action for Katniss and Peeta, but hitting the sauce for more than half of his screen time.
If you have read Suzanne Collins' trilogy you should already have a fair idea as to what happens, but there's no need to feel alienated if you haven't.
The first installment was produced in such a way that you do not need to have read them - sure there are always parts of the novel that are a thousand times better than the film but The Hunger Games is one instance where the differences do not matter too much.
It is a bit lengthy at 146 minutes, but it is entertaining enough for the time to fly by.
Catching Fire is one of the rare instance where the sequel is as good, if not better, than the original.