The gamekeepers have stepped up as the hunger games kick off once again. The challenges get tougher and elicit more emotion than ever.

The sequel to last year’s action film, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” premiered Nov. 22 and proved to be a lengthy, moving film.

The girl on fire, Katniss Everdeen, played by actress Jennifer Lawrence, returns and shows her expert skills with a bow and arrow once again as she enters the 75th Annual Hunger Games, the forced fight to the death.

With 24 returning victors competing in this Quarter Quell, the games are different than ever before. In fact, the games are hardly games at all and cause major distress and a lot more downfalls in this sequel.

The story is similar to the plot of the previous film. Everything seems to step up, especially when it comes to the challenges of the games, the exotic new jungle locations and the time limit of the movie, which runs a full two hours and 26 minutes.

Familiar characters like Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson, one of Katniss’ love interests and fellow competitor returns. Their friend and drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson, is also back. He brings a bit of humor to the movie, though there is little of it.

As viewers watch the film, they will notice new kinds of violence as some competitors come up against some of the most highly trained killers who want nothing but to end their enemies and win the game.

The audience can easily tell who the real enemy is. That is, one of the game creators and president of the land of Panem, the fictional world where the film takes place, President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland.

Viewers will be able to see that he is a dictator who actually enjoys putting the contestants in dangerous situations and likes to cause suffering.

With that being said, expect to see some sad scenes. In fact, the first quarter of the film reminisces parts from the first movie, adding some drama and emotion.

Some of the action sequences are intense and come out of nowhere, surprising viewers and adding suspense to the film. A lot of it involves the weapons given to the contestants to fight with, but also the environmentally hazardous scenes add chills to the climax especially. It’s quite a twist and the result is a riveting movie that may have the audience shaking in their seats.

Overall, fans everywhere can expect to see another great addition to their fandom, as “Catching Fire” proves to be a good, dramatic action movie with plenty of content. Like the book, the movie is left on a cliffhanger and is set up for a sequel.

A two-part film “Mockingjay” will follow, completing the franchise. Will the odds still be in our favor by then? Viewers will just have to wait and see.