After a sluggish first hour, Fire is well-paced, clocking in at two and a half hours. The first hour is dedicated to the pomp and circumstance of the victory tour, with Katniss dressed in costumes nearly as garish as Effie’s (Elizabeth Banks). The costume design really is quite amazing, and ifFire doesn’t win an Oscar for best costume design it will be an injustice. The opulence of the Capital is put on full display in this segment, contrasted with the poor masses in the audience.

Aside from the bland performance of Hutcherson, the cast does an outstanding job. Lawrence no longer has the anonymity she had in the first film – she’s a bonafide household name now. Somehow she still manages to morph into Katniss with ease. You forget you are watching Jennifer Lawrence, and that is no easy task on her part. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a truly welcome addition as Plutarch, and Woody Harrelson reprises his role as perpetually drunk Haymitch. Harrelson and Stanley Tucci (as tacky television host Caesar Flickerman) provide some strategically placed comic relief. Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer and Jeffrey Wright appear as tributes.

Fire isn’t as consistently paced as it could have been, but it’s fairly action packed once it gets going. It is the book methodically brought to life on the big screen, and fans should be thrilled. That’s not to say you have to have read the books to enjoy Fire. It should suffice as a stand-alone film as well. – Shannon