Panem is a nation divided into 12 districts, ruled from the Capitol. As punishment for a failed revolt many decades before, each district is forced to select two tributes, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games until there is only one survivor. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is an expert hunter, and she often sneaks outside the border fence around District 12 to capture small animals to help feed her family and trade for needed supplies. She has developed a close relationship with Gale Hawthorne, a fellow resident who shares her hunting skills. When her younger sister is chosen for the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss rashly volunteers to take her place. She and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark are escorted to the Capitol by their chaperone Effie Trinket and mentor Haymitch Abernathy, the only living winner of the Games from District 12. While they are dazzled and overwhelmed by the luxury and mounds of food available to them on the train, neither are hungry. Both are also alarmed by Haymitch, who is much more interested in staying drunk—as well as the state of his clothes—than he is in either of his charges, or their tragic fate. Peeta eventually gets through to him and Haymitch begins mentoring them. He stresses the importance of gaining sponsors, as they can provide potentially life-saving gifts during the Games. Arriving at the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta are overwhelmed at being put in the spotlight in front of hordes of cheering people who treat them like stars. Later, during a televised interview, Peeta expresses his love for Katniss, which she initially sees as an attempt to attract sponsors. She later learns his admission is genuine, which adds an uncomfortable aspect to their impending face-off in the Games themself.

The Hunger Games is intriguing, thought provoking, and memorable. It masterfully depicts the nightmarish tragedy of children being selected at random to fight and die—with the mania of the audience evoking the Roman gladiator games—contrasted not so much with the haves vs have nots, but current mass media consumption trends where people endure endless abuse for our entertainment, and we give nary a thought to the suffering we put the willing and unwilling participants through.

The casting in this film is spot on. All the actors are extremely believable in their roles—some even rising to a level that is sublime. Jennifer Lawrence's wonderful performance as Katniss is what makes the film. She is as much our guide into the world of The Hunger Games as she is a protagonist with agency that not only grows to take control of her immediate circumstances, but even starts to bend the will of forces greater than herself. The highlight of this movie, however, is the evolution of Woody Allen's Haymitch from constantly drinking to obliviate both his past and present, to someone who genuinely cares and does his best to see his charges survive. Another thing the film gets right is the vogue fashions among the people in the Capitol. While some of the choices are obnoxiously bold, they are all consistent with one another, and further highlight the stark and unsettling differences between the more relatable people in the outlying districts and the out-of-touch ones in the Capitol.

The part where the film comes up short is its lack of social criticism or comment on the tragic and heartless societies that it vividly depicts. There are only a handful of times when the filmmakers make a good point, as the film generally seems more comfortable focusing on Katniss's story and keeping the plot moving along. Alas, aside from a few sidelong glances or worrying stares, the protagonists are not even given a chance to comment on such things as social disparity or romanticized violence before the story moves along. That said, this film is replete with genuinely earned emotions, and is not exploitative of the situation as it hammers home the tragedy of the Hunger Games. A must see.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have safely returned to District 12 following their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games. While they and their families enjoy the newfound material comfort, Katniss is haunted by the trauma of the Games and remains emotionally distant from Peeta. President Snow visits Katniss and tells her that her actions in the games have ignited uprisings in Panem. He demands that she and Peeta maintain a facade of love during their Victory Tour to quell the rebellion, threatening the lives of their loved ones if she doesn't comply. As the Victory Tour begins, Katniss and Peeta's off-script speeches only stir up further unrest in the districts, which sparks a deadly response from the Capitol's Peacekeepers. Not only do Katniss and Peeta start using the pablum-esque scripts supplied by Effie Trinket, they announce their engagement to convince the Capitol of their love. President Snow, however, remains unconvinced at their charade, and the unrest has only intensified. Upon returning home, Katniss witnesses the brutal actions of the Capitol's Peacekeepers, who have arrived in force to suppress the local population. Gale, the young man Katniss actually loves, is publicly flogged after trying to stop the Peacekeepers' leader from killing a civilian—leading to a confrontation that results in Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch's involvement. President Snow sees the trio as a threat and plots to eliminate them. The 75th Hunger Games is soon announced, and as it is a "Quarter Quell", the tributes will be selected from the previous victors of the games. As the only female winner from District 12, Katniss resigns herself to her fate. She then makes Haymich promise that he'll protect Peeta and do whatever he can to keep Peeta out of the games. Haymich, however, warns her that he won't be able to do anything if Peeta volunteers...

Catching Fire picks up right where The Hunger Games ends, with the opening scenes underscoring the ramifications of Katniss's faux love with Peeta that saved them both, but are having unexpected, harsh aftereffects. Their victory tour around the districts not only illustrates the personal toll the games take on the winner, but also depicts the scale and extent of the government's repression of the citizens in the districts, as well as how widespread dissent has become. While the movie adds a lot of new elements and embellishes others, it is largely a repeat of the plot points in the first film. The difference is that the tributes (and us, the viewers) are experienced and aware of what is going on and what needs to be done. The twist this time is that the majority of the tributes are angry that they have to go through the terror and tragedy of the Games again, and openly and vocally protest against it.

Being the middle film of the series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is as much about setting up for a greater payoff in the subsequent films as it is about telling a complete store. While we revisit some familiar plot points and sequences, the film wisely keeps them short and focused on the characters' actions now that they are older and wiser. What I enjoyed most about this film is that it actually started to dig into the issues that the film series presents. While a bit thin, it does give the characters a lot more opportunities to fully digest and react—in their own unique ways—to the tragedies unfolding around them. Just like the first film, the highlight of Catching Fire is Jennifer Lawrence. Her best sequence is arguably right at the end, when we see her character overcome with grief as she struggles to grasp the terrible news she just heard, and her expression gradually changing into a steady resolve as she comes to terms with the situation and decides to join the struggle against the cruel and oppressive government. Like all good sequels, this film is less 'more of the same', and more an evolution of its predecessor that adds a lot of new dynamics that keeps it novel.

After being rescued from the 75th Hunger Games, tributes Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13, a below-ground district isolated from Panem. Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister Prim, and is introduced to President Alma Coin, the rebel leader. Katniss is told that her destruction of the arena led to riots in over half the districts and them subsequently joining District 13 in rebellion. This, in turn, caused President Snow to bomb District 12 in retaliation. Coin asks Katniss to become the "Mockingjay"—a symbol of the rebellion—as part of a "hearts and minds" strategy. Katniss initially declines, but on Plutarch Heavensbee's insistence, she is taken to the ruins of District 12 to see the devastation for herself. Therein she discovers her old house is untouched amid the complete destruction, with a fresh white rose from President Snow inside. Katniss later sees Peeta, who was captured by the Capitol, in a state television interview being manipulated to quell the rebellion. She then agrees to become the symbol of the rebellion, on the condition that all of the victors are absolved of all crimes, including Peeta and the others held by the Capitol. Catniss fails to be convincing while recording her first PR video. In the subsequent meeting, Haymitch Abernathy convinces the others that Katniss is at her most compelling when she is speaking honestly, and not 'acting'. They agree to send her to the war zone to make the next PR video. Katniss meets her film team, and they go to District 8, where she is filmed being saluted by dozens of wounded civilians at a hospital. President Snow, upon receiving intelligence on Katniss's location, dispatches a flight of bombers to attack her and the hospital!

While Mockingjay - Part 1 begins where the preceding film left off, it also seems to undo the final shot of Catching Fire. Instead of the determined Katniss ready to leap into the conflict, we get one who is traumatized by her experiences in the Hunger Games, and cowering in a utility tunnel. While an examination of the night terrors and other psychological effects brought on by the traumatic experiences in the Hunger Games is welcome, the subtle reset is less so. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the intriguing scenes after Katniss is roped into becoming the symbol of the resistance and we see the other characters strategizing and talking about her, while she sits quietly in a corner of the room. These scenes are the closest we get to the film making a comment on modern media. However, the film doesn't really get around to making any social criticism other than unscripted TV is better than scripted TV.

I was joyed to see the further development of the various districts in Panem—something that I felt wasn't done enough in Catching Fire. However, this film lacks the dichotomy of the haves (in the Capitol) with the have-nots (in the districts), as well as what arguably makes this series unique: the spectacle and unpredictability of the Hunger Games themselves. Instead, those things are traded in for the rather common sci-fi tropes of a spartan military-like society fighting a war in the post-apocalyptic ruins. The film itself isn't bad per se, it just doesn't have the same unyielding pace, nor the same thrill as its predecessors. On the other hand, it does have a number of pivotal scenes that highlight just how terrible, amoral, and ruthless the Panem regime is. With luck, this film has laid the groundwork for a final film that will bring back the elements that have made the Hunger Games series unique and so captivating.

After being attacked by a brainwashed Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen recovers from her injuries in District 13. President Alma Coin refuses to let Katniss go to the Capitol until they first secure District 2, the last district under Capitol control. Katniss is sent to join the assault on the Capitol's armoury in District 2, hoping to rally the rebels and convince District 2 to join their cause. While liberating District 2, Katniss is shot in the torso. Even though she is wearing a bullet proof uniform, Katniss is heavily injured and knocked unconscious. Coin subsequently refuses to let Katniss go to the front lines at the Capitol, as she needs her at the end, when President Snow capitulates. Katniss, however, sneaks aboard a helicopter on its way to the front line. Once there, she is recruited into Star Squad, which includes her on-again off-again love interest Gale Hawthorne, and fellow Games' survivor Finnick Odair. Star Squad is given the mission of going in to the Capitol after the front line troops to film propaganda videos in the city's ruins. Even though they won't be in the thick of the fighting, the Games' makers have hidden traps—deadly "pods"—throughout the city. Squad leader Boggs carries a holographic map of known pods, but it is incomplete. During their first day, Coin sends Peeta, who is not yet fully recovered from his brainwashing, to join the team and jointly appear in the videos. The problem is that he often cannot tell what is real, and occasionally reverts to his brainwashing, with unwelcome consequences for Katniss and Star Squad!

This is the film that Mockingjay - Part 1 should have been: it has all the elements that make the films in the Hunger Games series unique and evolves the story beyond the Games themselves. Among other things, that's Katniss doing and fighting for what she thinks is right and just, the dichotomy between the haves in the Capital and the have-nots in the surrounding districts, and the sadistic traps and other monstrosities unleashed on the participants of a Hunger Games-style competition. The addition of Hunger Games-style lethal traps adds a new element to urban warfare and greatly enhances the film's novelty. The film is gorgeously shot and produced, but the uneven levels of tension leaves a bit to be desired.

The greatest flaw in the film is that there are basically too many characters on the heroes' side, and not enough on the villains' side. In other words, some time is spent checking up on what the extended cast is doing, but it isn't handled with the finesse of Ocean's 12, for example. On the other side, aside from President Snow, there aren't any henchmen to focus on and act as a foil for the heroes to confront and defeat as the film builds up to its climax. A parts of this film feel padded out, and other parts feel like a lot of the action is happening off screen. While doing that keeps the film focused on Katniss and the pace more or less consistent, it ultimately reduces the scale of the film, and reduces its ability to become truly epic.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this film for its unpredictable twists and turns—especially the tension filmed scenes in the city's bowels that are surprisingly chilling in a multitude of ways. It's just too bad that the film is mostly action and spectacle, and doesn't have much–if anything–to say about the underling and fundamental social issues in its setting or how the society evolves beyond them.