The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

So many elements of the first installment of The Hunger Games are back in its sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But the screenplay, adapted by Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty,Slumdog Millionaire) from the second novel in the YA series by Suzanne Collins, is much more complex and political. This time, Katniss isn’t fighting other children; she’s going head-to-head with President Snow and his advisor, the new head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman). But Katniss can’t win. Her status makes her a pawn of the Capitol, and her unorthodox strategy during the games has turned her into a symbol of resurrection. It seems her only way out is to join the rebels, but she isn’t entirely convinced —yet. Read the full review on KCActive.com.