The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Stanley Tucci, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Elden Henson
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is saved by District 13 and joins their growing rebellion against the Capitol.

Review:

Tim: After enjoying the first two Hunger Games movies, I admit I had some trepidation heading into The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1. Most of this stemmed from the fact that I didn't care for the book at all. I was curious to see how this would translate onto the big screen. My other area of concern was this recent trend of splitting the final book of a series into two films to capitalize on revenue. What usually happens is that the first part never feels complete and suffers as a result. After seeing this film, many of my fears were realized, but it still managed to be good. However, if you're trying to identify the worst film of the trilogy, it would easily be this one.

"Mockingjay" was always going to be a little challenging because there are no Hunger Games here. That was easily the most exciting, memorable part of the first two books. Here, we're past the games and I have to say we miss them a bit. There's still some exciting moments, but nothing to rival the battle in the arena. When you add in the fact that this is just Part 1, there's not a ton of excitement or action in this movie. As expected, this Part 1 just sets the stage for what is coming. It's moving people around the chess board, but there's not a whole lot of resolution. That does hurt the movie a bit.

What saves this movie a bit is the fascinating look at the propaganda machine behind a war. I thought it was incredible to see how important symbols are in war and how a symbol can rally people around it. In this case, it's Katniss. However, she could never truly become the Mockingjay on her own- there's a ton of support, handlers, people more intelligent than she is, all trying to craft her into the desired image. None of this is truly visually exciting, but if you're willing to dig into the story, it's fairly entertaining.

The cast is good. Jennifer Lawrence truly embodies Katniss Everdeen- she's completely made the role her own. Like we can only associate Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Lawrence will always be connected to this role. This movie is greatly hurt by the small screen time for Josh Hutcherson. I'm a big Peeta guy, and it was disappointing to see how little he had to do here. Most of this is due to the story in the book (have I mentioned how dissatisfying and disappointing the third book was?). I will say that Hutcherson uses his miniscule screen time to great effect- some of his moments are the most memorable in the film.

This franchise continues to be helped by an incredible supporting cast. I love Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. I wish he had more screen time, but I get it. Elisabeth Banks had a few great moments. Julianne Moore was a nice addition to the cast, but isn't quite what I envisioned as President Coin. I like her portrayal much better than I did the character in the book. Donald Sutherland is once again excellent as President Snow. I do feel sad every time I saw Philip Seymour Hoffman, because the guy is so talented and brings so much to a role like this. I'm still very sad we lost him. Jeffrey Wright continues to add greatly in a small role. Stanley Tucci had almost nothing to do, but his presence is always welcome, no matter how small. I liked the addition of Natalie Dormer and Elden Henson. While a cast this size means most won't get much screen time, it's still very impressive and one of the biggest strengths of this film.

Francis Lawrence once again does a good job of bringing this story to the screen, but the film had too much working against it. It's a partial story, which makes the viewing experience somewhat unsatisfying. The absence of Peeta and the Hunger Games is felt and nothing added rivals what those two pieces brought. The film shuffles out two great strengths and adds in significantly less effective elements. That all being said, I still enjoyed The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1. I just think that it's clearly the least effective movie in this franchise. I would expect that the next film corrects many of these flaws just by its nature, but again- I really disliked the book, so unless they make some changes, it'll be hard for me to love it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire