I haven’t yet caught “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” but some films I look forward to seeing away from the press circuit in a multiplex environment, and this is one of them. I rather like Suzanne Collins’ smart, straight-ahead literary franchise, and thought Gary Ross made a decent stab at realizing its story world last year, while leaving plenty to work on in terms of rhythm and visual flair. The critical consensus is that director Francis Lawrence (whose last film, “Water for Elephants,” was actually kind of lovely) has made the necessary improvements, while Jennifer Lawrence, returning to the franchise as an Oscar winner, remains a committed Katniss Everdeen. (You can read Drew McWeeny’s enthusiastic take here.)
A number of you will have caught it by now, so are you with the critics? Does “Catching Fire” meet or exceed the bar set by its predecessor? And are you glad Lawrence is on board for the “Mockingjay” two-parter? Share your thoughts in the comments if/when you’ve seen it, and vote in the poll below.