When a situation is life or death, one must always fight to preserve their life. However, in the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, has chosen to sacrifice herself in order to save her fellow victor and to help a bigger cause.

Similar to the first movie, Catching Fire still has an arena, but, being that it is a Quarter Quell, the 75th anniversary of the defeat of the rebellion of the districts, there is a sickening alteration. Instead of having to sacrifice a male and female child from each district, the tributes will be selected out of the victors that the district currently holds. This means that Katniss must return to the arena, the place of her nightmares, once again with either her mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, played by actor Woody Harrelson, or her lover, Peeta Mellark, played by actor Josh Hutcherson. At the reaping, escort Effie Trinket, played by actress Elizabeth Banks, chooses Abernathy, Mellark volunteers.

In the end of The Hunger Games when Everdeen pulled out the poisonous berries in order to force the capitol to choose to let two tributes win the Games, or to be victor-less, the citizens of the capitol viewed her as love-struck, only wishing to preserve her fixation on Mellark, rather than a way to show-up the gamemakers. The people in the districts took this as a sign of rebellion, causing strife between President Snow and Everdeen.

While staying true to the book, the overall idea of the plotline is carried out very effectively, especially with the change in directors from Gary Ross, who directed The Hunger Games, to Francis Lawrence, who directed the second movie. Both did a very nice job depicting the books without making the story seem like a show, as it is to the people of the capitol, but more like how the Games are perceived by the residents of the districts by casting the Games as a sick and twisted way for the capitol to keep the districts in submission.

Lawrence does a splendid job acting as the love-torn, post-games, Everdeen who is trying to return to a normal life and is then thrown into another Game. She carries out her awkward relationships with on-screen lover Mellark and hunting partner Gale Hawthorne, played by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, with ease, not over-dramatizing either of them and staying close within the lines of what author Suzanne Collins wrote in the original book.

After Everdeen realizes that she will be going back into the arena with either Abernathy or Mellark, she decides that this time she wants Mellark to survive, so she plans to sacrifice herself in order to please Snow.

In the movie, it is apparent that there was a high budget because of the extravagance of the capitol, arena and other sets. However, it is also noticeable in the movie that the producers are not just trying to make money, but they are truly trying to accurately depict the book because of the attention to detail woven throughout the movie, like the locket that Mellark gives Everdeen, and Snow’s knowledge of Everdeen and Hawthorne’s connection. All character’s costumes are fitting to who they are in the movie, and the sets are perfect images of what the book explains them to be.

President Snow is forced to find some way to put a stop to the uprisings in the districts, and his solution to this problem is to rid them of their icon, thus the reason for the victors returning to the arena for the Quarter Quell.

The stakes are higher in the arena this time around with every tribute being an experienced killer, but an alliance is formed between Everdeen, Mellark, Finnick Odair, played by British actor Sam Claflin, and Johanna Mason, portrayed by actress Jena Malone and Beetee Latier, played by actor Jeffrey Wright, that brings about a surprising end to the games.

When the credits start rolling Coldplay’s song “Atlas” also starts playing. The song was written specifically for the movie, and this is made apparent in its lyrics. Specifically in reference to Mellark and Everdeen’s witnessing of the execution of a rebel in district 11 when it says “Some heard the gun” and to Everdeen’s skills with a bow and arrow when it says just after that “Some bent the bow.” Other songs like “We Remain” by Christina Aguilera, and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Lorde are also featured in the movie.

In the end, Everdeen makes a decision that will ultimately change the course of event in the country of Panem forever.

To find out what happens watch the sequel and discover what will change Panem for eternity.