If you’re a big Hunger Games fan like me (I saw the movie four times in the theater the first week it was out), you’ve had the date Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 on your mind.
The day is circled on the calendar on my wall. A reminder is set for my iPhone. And that’s because on Nov. 21, the highly-anticipated follow-up movie, Catching Fire will be out in theaters.
I’ve had my tickets purchased from Fandango from the moment they went on sale, so it was a pleasant surprise for me this week (you could say the odds were in my favor. Sorry, couldn’t resist), when I received an invitation for an advance screening!
So I went. I watched. I cheered. I cried. And without giving too much away, I’ve come up with a list of 10 reasons why the second movie in the franchise — based on author Suzanne Collins’ novels — is even better than the first.
1. Good bye, really shaky scenes
In the first movie director Gary Ross tried to put the audience in Katniss’ (Jennifer Lawrence) shoes, using shaky hand-held camera scenes to portray a sense of urgent first-person narrative. But the effect didn’t really work. The shaky camera work ended up being distracting in most cases, and some movie-goers even complained of a little motion sickness.
There’s plenty of action sequences in Catching Fire, but new director Francis Lawrence has used nowhere near the amount of shaky camera shots in this movie.
2. More ornate and edgy costumes
Elizabeth Banks said it best: When it comes to Effie’s new wardrobe in Catching Fire, it’s just “wow, wow, wow! The wow factor is getting amped up.” And it’s not just Effie’s clothing. Katniss, several of the other tributes and Cesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) all wear really memorable outfits throughout the movie.
Award-winning designer Trish Summerville managed to top the outfits from the first movie with intricate, even more outrageous Capitol looks.
3. Jennifer Lawrence is a genius
Can we love Jennifer Lawrence even more? She follows up an emotional and powerful performance in The Hunger Games (to say nothing of her Oscar-winning role in Silver Linings Playbook) with even more passion.
Plus, not only is JLaw an Academy Award winner, Donald Sutherland (President Snow) said of her at the Los Angeles premiere: “They call her Jen. It’s actually short for genius, because that’s what she is. She’s a genius actor. Absolutely brilliant.”
And she absolutely shines as the girl on fire in this movie.
4. More Gale
Do I even have to elaborate on this one? More Gale = More Liam Hemsworth. The guy is sure easy on the eyes. 
5. Effie shows some heart
In one of the more emotional scenes for me in Catching Fire, (yes, I cried a few tears), Elizabeth Banks shows there’s some depth to Effie’s character, and that she isn’t just about the Capitol, flashy make-up and crazy clothes.
6. Great casting of tributes
I admit: I wasn’t completely sold on Sam Claflin playing Finnick. I pictured him having darker hair and more olive skin, but he won me over as the confident, trident-wielding character pretty quickly.
The casting director definitely chose the right actor additions for this movie.
Jena Malone was a brilliant Johanna Mason. Lynn Cohen a perfect choice for Mags and Jeffrey Wright a great Beetee.
7. New Gamemaker
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the perfect Plutarch Heavensbee. The scenes he shares with President Snow and Katniss are executed perfectly.
8. The elements in the arena are bigger
The special effects — the cornucopia — the elements the tributes have to battle in the arena this time around are quite the sight to see. The showing of Catching Fire I saw wasn’t in IMAX, but the movie in RealD was already pretty intense. I can only imagine what it looks like on the IMAX screen.
9. Better adaptation of the book
The second movie more closely follows Suzanne Collins’ book. I felt it was a better adaptation to the screen than the first movie.
For example, President Snow was evil in the first movie, but in Catching Fire you really get the sense of just how sinister his rose-smelling, blood-breathed character is.
10. The movie leaves you wanting more
We know there are going to be two more movies in The Hunger Games franchise. Catching Fire ends where the novel ends and has already left me wanting more.
So let the countdown to November 2014 for “Mockingjay” begin now!
More Catching Fire on Cinephiled:
Know Your Peeta From Your Gale: Who’s Who In ‘Catching Fire’
Killer Tributes: Who’s Who In ‘Catching Fire’ — Part 2
Movie Review: ‘Catching Fire’
The Final ‘Catching Fire’ Trailer
8 ‘Catching Fire’ Movie Reviews You’ll Want to Read