Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Review By: John Delia

It’s time for the rebellion to start and in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 the volatile story of Katniss Everdeen continues with able direction, adequate acting, but with the usual predictable storyline.  The filming and CGI gets better than the last installment showing explosive battles that are more realistic looking than the games in Catching Fire.  Characters are added and the rebel skirmishes become intense with Director Francis Lawrence cutting the film at a fairly reasonable intermission point.  But most of the fan based audience will walk away empty with little more than a taste of what they hope will come in the finale.

The story begins with Katniss finding out that she has been brought to District 13 by Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) where the rebels have made a strong base underground.  Run by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) her followers have one thing in mind, bring down the terrible dictator President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and free the districts from his tyranny.  But they need their unifier to energize the Nation of Panem, the one the people call Mockingjay.

Apprehensive about filling her role as the uprising symbol, especially with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) still missing, it’s Heavensbee, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) her original love interest, her confidant Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and the evocative Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) that convince her to lead. When she visits the destruction of her hometown in District 12, Katniss starts to focus on saving Panem.

The two hours plus film moves along at a moderate pace with sparse action at intervals. Director Francis Lawrence returns from his first try of Hunger Games: Catching Fire, to helm the two halves of the final chapter. He ups his game with more dramatic CGI showing buildings being crushed by falling towers, tree climbers escaping the wrath of President Snow and some very intense battle sequences, but leaves a lot to be desired in the story department. A loose transition scene from Catching Fire to open the film, bad scripting in the attempted rescue of Peeta and perfunctory dealing with time elements hurt the film somewhat. It’s science fiction understandably, but “keeping the realism here, he doesn’t”.

The movie adds some new characters in addition to the unemotional performance by Julianne Moore as President Coin. To get the masses pumped up, Plutarch Heavensbee assembles a film crew to record Katniss at several districts in hope of getting support for the rebellion. Natalie Dormer as Cressida leads the team of filmmakers as they prod through the Districts’ rubble, including the grisly hospital scene. She’s a very good addition to the cast and gives a fine performance as a support character.

On the downside, the film closes the gap much like the mundane Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 did for their franchises. This filler episode does very little to pacify the long wait till the final act of the creative writing by Suzanne Collins comes to the screen. Not until November 20, 2015 will the rabid followers of the Hunger Games find solace in knowing what director Francis Lawrence has in store for the young lady who started a revolution. Will she live to seize the day? Will Peeta be her chosen one? Will there be a new world order?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material. The opening scene has a shocking execution, the results of the devastation at District 12 are grisly and the film contains a scene of brutality. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Even though the film will probably crush nearly all of the leading box-office return leaders, it’s unfortunately just a ho hum plot filler. (C+)