It may seem rude and out of place to put the maligned label "chick flick" on The Hunger Games franchise, because it assumes that such a movie will not be embraced by one half of our species. Regardless of etiquette, the highly-anticipated sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is, at heart, a "chick flick," with a mighty heroine defying the totalitarian government that has held its people in fear for 75 years, paving the way for a rebellion that could change her embattled nation forever. AND, she also has two dreamy dudes fighting for her affections. If that doesn't scream "girl power," I don't know what does, but here's the thing: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire transcends any label I or anyone else could put on it, because it's just one hell of a fascinating ride into a unique world for anyone to enjoy, no matter which bathroom you go into after the credits roll.

When I praised The Hunger Games last year, there were a number of male friends of mine who indicated they probably wouldn't give it a chance, most likely because it is a young adult fantasy adaptation, and all the baggage that comes along with that genre which most dudes don't jive with. And I totally get that, I really do. After suffering through (most of) The Twilight Saga and its glittery vampires, it became clear that these types of adaptations weren't going away anytime soon (The Host, The Mortal Instruments, Divergent, etc.), with practically every studio searching for that book trilogy they can stretch into a four-part franchise. What The Hunger Games gets right that most fantasy adaptations don't, though, is it's focused more on the fascinating world itself, and not the romantic trappings of its leading lady.

However, with that being said, the romance is ratcheted up quite a bit in Catching Fire, with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) struggling with her feelings for her fellow victor Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and her former hunting partner Gale (Liam Hemsworth), who now works at a local District 12 factory. There is quite an intriguing back-and-forth between Katniss and her gentleman callers, but, still, the filmmakers seem to understand that it seems silly and trite to heavily focus on a romance when this world is starting to crumble all around them. Still, the romance is there and more prominent than in the first film, if you're into that sort of thing, but it's still very much on the back burner.

The film starts out with Katniss and Peeta now living in the Victor's Village, one of the "prizes" those who win The Hunger Games receive. They are about to set off on their Victor's Tour, a whirlwind trip through all 12 Districts that is normally used as a propaganda tool used by the Capitol to keep the downtrodden populace at bay. However, after Katniss and Peeta's defiant act at the 74th Annual Hunger Games, newfound sparks of hope and resistance are starting to form throughout the land, as President Snow (Donald Sutherland) tries to figure out how best to deal with this troublesome girl from District 12. At the suggestion of new gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the 75th Annual Hunger Games (a.k.a. The Third Quarter Quell) is a game-changer, with the tributes being "reaped" on the pool of existing victors, meaning last year's winners head back into battle against a crop of experienced killers.

Jennifer Lawrence really turns the volume up on her performance as Katniss, suffering from post-traumatic visions from last year's Games while trying to step away from the role model persona she unwittingly created. However, there are scenes where I felt it could have been pushed back a bit. It's still a wonderful, wide-ranging performance, but the extremes are just a bit overwhelming in a few spots.

Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, and the other returning cast members do a fine job, although it felt that Josh Hutcherson was too hollow as Peeta. I was most surprised and impressed with Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, who turns in quite an endearing performance with the limited amount of screen time she is given. Sure, her colorful flair for fashion is still firmly intact, but gone is her sense of detachment from the tributes, that she's better than them because she's from the Capitol. In the sequel, she desperately wants them all to be a team, and it's quite an impressive performance, balancing her normally-snooty ways with the newfound kinship she tries to create with Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch.

It seemed that most of the returning supporting cast members had much less to do here, but that's likely due to an influx of new characters into this world. Philip Seymour Hoffman is at his normally glorious best as game maker Plutarch Heavensbee, who will likely have a much bigger and more important role in the two-part Mockingjay finale. The new/old tributes represent a unique cross-section of talents, both in their characters specialties and the actors who portray them. Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer are spot-on as technical wizard Beetee and the loopy Wiress, former winners from District 3 who are more focused on survival than killing, giving us a whole new perspective on these Games and this hodgepodge of much different competitors. I wasn't a terribly big fan of Jena Malone as Johanna Mason and Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair, although each character does have their moments from time to time.

Francis Lawrence effortlessly takes the reins from The Hunger Games director Gary Ross, who worked from a script by high-profile scribes Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and Michael Arndt (Star Wars: Episode VII). What's most impressive is how Lawrence manages to super-size the scope on a rather tight schedule for a big-budget Hollywood tentpole. You may recall that Gary Ross left the project because of this very reason, because he felt there wasn't enough time to make the movie he wanted. The work Lawrence was able to do, with the pressure of making such a highly-anticipated follow-up on a shorter schedule with a much bigger cast and fan expectations through the roof, is more exceptional than anyone could ask for under those conditions.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has that perfect blend of popcorn thrills, fascinating world-building, complex and colorful characters, a massive scope that's out of this world (the battle arena is particularly fascinating), oh, and this romance thing that some of you may like. This is a huge, huge film, in more ways than one, which will surely translate into red-hot returns at the box office in a few weeks.