Move aside, Taylor Swift. Jennifer Lawrence is America’s new girl crush! Besides the fact that she is the embodiment of perfection, Jennifer also happens to star in an extremely successful movie franchise. Does Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games ring a bell? It should. It’s only the most popular series since J.K. Rowling’s masterpieces.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Catching Fire is the second installment of the celebrated Hunger Games film trilogy. For those of you living under a rock, the protagonist Katniss Everdeen (the lovely Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers as her sister’s replacement in the government-mandated Hunger Games, annual events in which selected “tributes” are forced to fight to the death. And as good as the first movie was, this one is better. Whether you are Team Gale or Team Peeta, this movie has everything you could possibly want: action, adventure, romance. A by-the-book continuation of her story after surviving the Hunger Games, Catching Fire follows Katniss’s return to the arena and introduction to the new round of tributes. And with new tributes comes new actors; actress Jena Malone gives Jennifer Lawrence a run for her money with an outstandingly snarky performance as Johanna Mason. Best supporting actress, anyone?
Even if you’re familiar with the plotline, the movie will have you clinging to your chair in suspense throughout. It’s just that good. The set, actors, and special effects surpass those of its prequel and contribute to the fact that Catching Fire has become the highest-grossing Thanksgiving film in movie history. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 89%, this movie is well worth the exorbitantly priced theatre tickets. Without spoiling the show for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Jennifer Lawrence in action, let’s just say that the ending will leave you desperate for Mockingjay’s distant release date.