I was met with a mixed reception after viewing The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1. In this film, the games are over, and the war's begun. Katniss Everdeen, victor of the 74th Hunger Games has become a symbol for defying the oppressive Capitol, and as the "Mockingjay" she leads the rebellion. I'm afraid to give my honest opinion, because when you have a beloved series, some people who love it will jump at your throat at the mention of any criticism. Luckily, I'm not dealing with a beloved book, because the book was 50/50 in terms of approval. Some hated it, some loved it. I loved it, but never even dreamed I'd see it be divided. It's a 300 page book. So fanboys and fangirls, hear me out, because I am about to deliver the 100% honest review of this movie. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this movie. But as a movie reviewer, I need to keep my integrity.
Before I reveal what I didn't like, let me first say what I did like. Specifically the acting. I particularly liked Lawrence. She has really stepped up her game, and as Katniss, she perfectly conveys her inner struggle. Katniss is just such a force to be reckoned with, and she's a great heroine. She gives a very raw performance. Katniss is no longer twirling around in dresses, or being prepped by the Capitol. She's almost without makeup, and angry for most of the movie (at least they saved that from the book). Josh Hutcherson is very good as well. He plays the "drone-like" Peeta hauntingly, and the end scene is spectacular. Just in case, I won't spoil it, but he's great in his role. I really enjoyed Philip Seymour Hoffman as well, I think he did a very good job with what he was given. It was a great nod to have the movie dedicated to his memory, as he's a prime example of great talent gone too soon. We'll talk about Julianne Moore as President Coin with the stuff I didn't like. Finally, Donald Sutherland as President Snow. I finally got to see the evil Snow from the books. I know the third installment in the series is where Snow really gets wicked, but Sutherland is phenomenally evil in the role, and he steals every scene he's in. Even from Lawrence.
I did enjoy the political aspects of the film. Non-readers of the books should be warned: this is nothing like the first two. There are no Games. I feel that this will really turn off a lot of viewers, because the franchise is so well known for the Games, which pits children against each other in a fight to the death. This is a total departure from that idea. I particularly enjoyed how the movie handled the propaganda aspect of District 13, and how the rebellion fights with that tactic, while the Capitol fights with violence and fear. The scenes that are the most moving are Katniss' propaganda scenes, with her delivering the famous "If we burn, you burn with us" line, and standing in the rubble of her own bombed District. I think the best scene in the film is when Katniss sings "The Hanging Tree" to a montage of rebellions starting once people see the video with her song. It really captures the domino effect rebellions have, and demonstrates the power Katniss has as the Mockingjay of the rebellion.
So what didn't I like? I think my one true argument is just the separation aspect. I don't think the book should be separated into two parts. Think of past movies that were split. How many people buzzed about Breaking Dawn's first part, rather than just anticipating the finale? The same goes for The Hobbit. I think that this whole movie just slowly builds to a great conclusion to a great series. I think we'll look at this as the "bad" movie in the saga but by no means is it bad. Once The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 is released, we'll see how good this one really is. It is good, just not great. I think it splitting it is failing to capitalize on the source material. Also notice I didn't bring up the Harry Potter split. That's because that first part did not add random scenes not from the book that seemed disjointed. The Hobbit's first part was more new material than it was anything from the book. This movie does have a lot of that, but I think it easily balances the two. Just know, there's a lot of new stuff in this movie. Julianne Moore was the one performance I heavily disliked. In the book, Coin is a horribly stiff ruler who rivals President Snow in terms of tyranny. Katniss immediately recognizes her true colors and instantly dislikes her. But in the movie, Coin is sometimes using positive energy to rally troops, giving Katniss compliments, and basically being the nice guy. And you can tell she's moving to a conclusion for the character, but I wished she didn't go in that direction. She does fine if you separate the book and movie, but all in all I couldn't get past how much of a departure from the source the character was. As a performance I think it's very flat, save for her ending speech, which is so full of fluff you can tell she's not the white knight, and is holding back the talent I know Moore has.
So I did like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, I just don't believe it is a perfect film. Look to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for a much better, much more action-packed installment in the series. This movie sets up a conclusion I'm anxiously waiting for, I just wished it delivered a little more. I'm writing this review unmoved by the movie I just saw. After the last movie I was excited, and I just don't feel that after this one. I look at the reviews and see critics feeling the same way. It stands at 66% (almost rotten) on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a large step back from the 85% of The Hunger Games, and an even bigger step back from The Hunger Games Catching Fire which has 90%. The same consensus, is that splitting it was just a bad idea, and it led to a dull movie with few bright spots. I like those kinds of movies but a lot of people don't Is it bad? Not by any means. It's just not great. But it carries a great potential.
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