76
Metascore
49 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistTodd GilchristThe PlaylistTodd GilchristCatching Fire is a monumental achievement, a massively entertaining crowd-pleaser that is thought-provoking and personally inspiring in all of the ways that it aspires to be.
- 90VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter Debruge[Francis] Lawrence and his team have calibrated the entire experience for maximum engagement. And while its pleasures can’t touch the thrill of seeing the Death Star destroyed — not yet, at least — the film runs circles around George Lucas’ ability to weave complex political ideas into the very fabric of B-movie excitement.
- 80Total FilmPaul BradshawTotal FilmPaul BradshawCatching Fire delivers on all the promise of Part 1 with a gutsier, tougher, better round of Games.
- 80Time Out LondonCath ClarkeTime Out LondonCath ClarkeCatching Fire looks and feels epic. Hands down it’s one of the most entertaining films of the year.
- 80The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinIt’s a critic’s instinct to auto-praise any blockbuster that tries to do something different, but Catching Fire is so committed to carrying on the fine work started by its predecessor that the applause flows utterly naturally.
- 80EmpireIan NathanEmpireIan NathanDefying rote heroics and sidestepping those solemn Frodoisms lurking in the role, Lawrence seeks out the complex, human and earthy in Katniss, still the beating heart and total triumph of these movies.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinRelatively speaking, Catching Fire is terrific. Even nonrelatively, it's pretty damn good.
- 75Slant MagazineSlant MagazineFrancis Lawrence imbues the source material with visceral pleasure in well-wrought scenes vacillating between elaborate spectacle, breathtaking terror, and--occasionally--surprising beauty.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThis is a safe, serviceable, carefully crafted action drama in which the subversive seeds planted in the first story take welcome root.
- 60The GuardianPaul MacInnesThe GuardianPaul MacInnesWhat lets the movie down is its heart, or lack thereof. The reprise of the Games introduces new adversaries (and some allies) but has exactly the same dynamic as in the first movie.