“The Hunger Games” lured in readers and gained new followers for the series, enticing many with a seemingly realistic experience through its unique plot and innovative direction. That film had audiences on the edge of their seats, but the sequel “Catching Fire,” from director Francis Lawrence [“Water for Elephants”], moves so quickly that the audience doesn’t even have time to take a break to munch on some Junior Mints.

District 12 has just moved on from the past Hunger Games, a competition in which 24 children from each District are forced to fight to the death. Victors Katniss Everdeen [Jennifer Lawrence] and Peeta Mellark [Josh Hutcherson] have settled into their warm and cozy homes but, after such loss and chaos, the two star-crossed lovers have grown distant.

The main villain, President Snow [Donald Sutherland], senses the possibility of hope rising against the mass amount of fear he worked diligently to spread over the post-apocalyptic and dystopian country of Panem.

Suddenly, Katniss and Peeta are no longer safe in the place they once called home. They’ll soon be sent off a second time to compete in a special edition of the Games, a Quarter Quell that occurs every 25 years. This time their departure was not marked with whispers of encouragement or tearful goodbyes.

Contrasting what seems like a promising and intriguing plot, the continual push of “Catching Fire” from scene to scene doesn’t let certain aspects of the Hunger Games to soak in for the audience. The movie-goers are left wanting more and remain dissatisfied when their questions are left hanging in the air. A seemingly vital character dies within a flash, and then things are moving forward.

It’s as if the film was shot from the Capitol’s perspective. Francis Lawrence may be wittier than the lot of us.

While the use of inventive and realistic shaky camera tactics has been thrown out of the window, the director added several impressive special effects that were visually stunning. The description of the arena in the book has nothing on the film’s interpretation. Vivid colors, rippling water, and intense, around-the-clock danger is displayed shockingly well, all thanks to an increased budget.

At least the majority of the film was pleasant to the eye besides those long, uncomfortable, Hollywood-style cuts. This is a battle full of death, destruction, and corruption, not a tragic romance centered around a dangerous island where the only way to escape is with one weapon: love.

Gross.

Despite its technical drawbacks, “Catching Fire” had an amazing cast lined up, and each member played their roles flawlessly. Hutcherson [“Red Dawn”] conveys the calm, collected, and careful Peeta effortlessly. Lawrence [“Silver Linings Playbook”] steals the audience with Katniss’ raw emotion and pure determination. Their on-screen chemistry is heart-warming but juxtaposes the horrific events taking place in the arena.

Everybody needs a break from the murder and torture, right?

Wrong. Francis Lawrence keeps the action in constant sight. This should be a highlight of the film because it’s thrilling, terrifying, and entertaining all at once, but it falls shorts when it becomes repetitive. Katniss touches poisonous gas and recovers. Minutes later, she is attacked by fanged monkeys that want to rip her throat to pieces. Offensive, but it’s the hard life of a tribute.

Katniss unknowingly defied the Capitol by pulling out poisonous berries when she was faced with the idea of murdering Peeta and the uproar that followed completely changed the game. People in the Districts realize that they can rise above this corrupted government, and that terrifies President Snow.

Katniss Everdeen may be the girl on fire, but her flame is going to fizzle out unless she is motivated to make a change. Fans around the world will have to wait and see how the newly-titled Mockingjay is going to burn the Capitol down.

The main challenge for a sequel that has a lot of fans waiting and loads of expectations tacked onto it is that it will fall flat. Sending out trailers, releasing posters, and counting down the days are all effective ways of gaining fans and excitement, but it sets a bar that’s almost too high to reach.

“Catching Fire” is a terrific follow-up to “The Hunger Games” for those that haven’t read the trilogy. The directors both succeeded in summarizing the story during each film but readers that are expecting exact details and scene accuracy will be somewhat disappointed.

But for those who haven’t seen the first film or read the books: stick to the novel first. There’s more insight available in the trilogy than in each film, and readers will have a clearer understanding of this dystopian society.

Feel free to buy some popcorn, just don’t expect too much time to eat it.