Disclaimer: What follows are specific plot details and spoilers of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”  The review contains spoilers regarding the movie.  Do not read this review if you have not watched the movie yet, and you wish to in the future.  

When it comes to movie franchises, particularly those of the “three and done” variety, the odds are ever in the second film’s favor. These films are typically darker, larger in scale, and the filmmakers behind them jump at the attempt to craft a perfect setup for the trilogy’s conclusion. These are all aspects “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” wears– sort of.

The cinematic adaptation of the final book in Suzanne Collins’s trilogy, “Mockingjay” has been split into two parts (as was the case with the Potter and Twilight finales), the first of which is slated for November 2014. So it’s no surprise that this second installment feels like filler; but it does the trick.  Based on the novels by Suzanne Collins, the film serves as decently exciting transition from the adventurous adaptation of the first novel to a hopefully explosive finale.

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson return in their respective roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, citizens of the 12th District of the future North America, Panem. Katniss and Peeta, co-winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games the previous year, now find themselves worldwide celebrities, touring through the impoverished and oppressed Districts. But the Capitol and President Snow (Donald Sutherland), ruling as a heartless dictator, wish to use Katniss and Peeta to crush the revolution that is beginning to brew among the 12 Districts.

Much of this second film in the Hunger Games trilogy is spent on this tour, the pageantry that Panem holds in such high regard on seemingly constant display. Screenwriters Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt – writing here under the name Michael deBruyn – take their time getting to the meat of the film, the 75th Annual Hunger Games, where President Snow has a few menacing tricks up his sleeve to commemorate the milestone anniversary.

The Games do eventually commence, but only after the colorful characters and engaging world author Suzanne Collins created have been appropriately brought to light. There are a lot of unanswered questions going on inside “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” most of them pertaining to the rules of this future society, but Beaufoy and Arndt do a masterful job of giving us just the information we need without appearing to hand-hold us through this world. Panem feels more like something real in Catching Fire, at the same time more expansive and more grounded than what director Gary Ross delivered in the first film.

The directing duties were handed over to Francis Lawrence this time around, and he certainly captures the look Ross built up in the first film. From the gritty and gray Districts to the gaudy and glamorous Capitol, Lawrence takes the ball and charges headfirst into this vast future world. As with Beaufoy and Arndt and their adaptation of Collins’ work, Lawrence appears to be fascinated by the details. The sheen on Stanley Tucci’s character Caesar Flickerman’s teeth has never been this bright.

But the oppressive government and potential revolution are only the catalysts for the film’s main attraction, The Hunger Games: two volunteers from each District competing in brutal combat inside an arena until only one (or two given Katniss’ penchant for rule-bending) person survives. As with the first film, this is where Catching Fire begins to slip from captivating and awe-inspiring sci-fi bliss to charged but still clunky action.

Katniss and Peeta, both competing in the Games once again, now find themselves in a tropical region, allying and battling with a whole new cast of eccentric characters. The Games in Catching Fire never really find a strong foothold, and though their purpose to the story of the trilogy is solid and important, they come off as something of an afterthought. Those new allies and the depth they bring help, but the characters our protagonists go up against are little more than names and faces. Once again, the story is faced with that old problem of adapting a 400-page novel to a 150-page screenplay, and the film comes to an abrupt end, all the more abrupt if you haven’t read Collins’ novels.

Fortunately, the film works the revolution and government angle in the background the whole way through, setting up for a climactic, potentially two-part finale. Sutherland and newcomer Philip Seymour Hoffman, replacing Wes Bentley as the gamemaker, are exceptional in every scene they share.  Hoffman’s character brings an added level of threat to the 75th Games, and his traps and tricks far more entertaining than watching people swing axes and fire arrows at their competition.

The actors filling the variety of roles are equally intriguing.  Donald Sutherland playing President Snow and newcomer Philip Seymour Hoffman, replacing Wes Bentley as the Gamemaker, are exceptional in every scene they share.  Hoffman’s character brings an added level of threat to the 75th Games, and his traps and tricks far more entertaining than watching people swing axes and fire arrows at their competition.  Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson return as the eccentric and colorful Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy, respectively. Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, and Jena Malone are all superb as competitors in these new Games.

Liam Hemsworth comes back to build on the love triangle between him (Gale), Katniss, and Peeta. All franchises must now come complete with a love triangle, and the one at work in The Hunger Games series isn’t particularly as enticing as it might want to be.  However, the conflict is scarcely brought to the foreground, and is thus not as big of an issue as it may have been otherwise.

Hutcherson is solid as Peeta, but there’s no denying Jennifer Lawrence is the true star of this series. Her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen brings every ounce of strength the character needs to come off as believably sympathetic. She doesn’t want to lead a revolution, but matters force her hand, and Lawrence nails both the reluctance and the energy the character displays as her government bears down on its people even harder.

The idea of revolution is nothing new to cinema (and novels), and “Catching Fire”– well, the “Hunger Games” series as a whole, really– has little fresh to offer when it comes to playing in that arena. However, the world building at work here and the constant stream of plot points keep the film from ever becoming stale.  The film brushes over quite a bit, but what the screenwriters and director Francis Lawrence have given us is an energetic and solid second entry into what could potentially become a decent trilogy.  However, it will have to be seen if the film adaptation of the often-criticized third novel, “Mockingjay,” is crafted with care. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” was made as such, and though that fire never rises to awesome heights, it absolutely whets its audience appetites.