“The Hunger Games” was a decent movie, but it had issues.

The main problem was it spent so much time introducing its characters and world that it lacked time to develop anything.

The death of one character was a huge, pivotal scene, which felt less important than it should have, because that character only had a few lines of dialogue up to that point. There was a potentially great story in place; it just needed better execution in a sequel.

Well, anyone who was afraid the sequel wouldn’t improve on the original can put those fears to rest. “Catching Fire” is better than the first in every way imaginable, and anyone who enjoyed the first one at all should see it immediately.

“Catching Fire” picks up not long after its predecessor ended, with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) becoming national celebrities after being the first pair of tributes to win a Hunger Games competition. However, all is not well, as the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland) fears Katniss and Peeta’s defiance of the rules has inspired the people to rebel against his government.

It’s difficult for a film to deal with so many subplots in the way a novel can, but the filmmakers have done an admirable job.

The first half of the movie deals with the increasing cruelty of the government and the emerging love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), while the second half is mostly devoted to the 75th Hunger Games and the brewing rebellion. There is a lot to keep track of, but it is never confusing or boring.

The best part of “Catching Fire” is the way it addresses the first film’s problem with little character development.

Now that these characters don’t need much introduction, their personalities and relationships with each other are explored much more heavily. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the performances are all excellent. Lawrence continues to show she is one of Hollywood’s best young actresses.

The most interesting development is the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. Specifically, it’s the way they challenge typical gender roles in media. Katniss is more like a typical male action hero, while Peeta often serves as the damsel in distress who is repeatedly put in danger and needs to be rescued. It’s a fascinating twist on what is often seen in Hollywood cinema.

Honestly, there isn’t anything to dislike about “Catching Fire.” It continues to build on the first film’s interesting premise in great ways, while giving more insight into its characters.

The promise of the first film has been fully realized in the second, and the only problem is the third installment isn’t out yet.