The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Review

As we learned at the end of Catching Fire, The Hunger Games are no more. For Mockingjay Part 1, we begin shortly after Katniss has been vacated from the last instance of those vicious games. When Katniss awakens, Peeta is still at large and chaos has erupted between the Capitol and remaining Districts. All that remains for this series is the inevitable battle stemming from District 13’s President Coin (Julianne Moore) plans to overthrow the increasingly sadistic President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

This ensuing battle, though, will apparently be saved for Mockingjay Part 2, as this first film instead serves to explain how Coin uses Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and all of her influence to effectively get this party started. After first attempting to shove her into forced propaganda ads, Katniss chooses to venture further into the action, showcasing the true destruction plaguing the Districts in order to rally citizens to action. These ads cause further civilian unrest, and also further death and destruction from the vengeful Capitol.

It is always difficult to review a ‘Part 1’ film as they are, by very definition, only half of the story. Readers of the novels seem to feel the book is being stretched thin by utilizing this approach. As a non-reader of this series, the film felt very complete and ends on no more of a cliffhanger than last year’s Catching Fire. Mockingjay Part I continues the amplification of the impending war that the isolation of classes was always going to cause, the movement simply needed the strength of character in Katniss to get the ball rolling.

Director Francis Lawrence continues to prove he was the right choice to complete this franchise. While some wanted this film to jump right into a huge battle between the Districts and the Capitol, Lawrence instead slows things down to focus on what is really at stake. Does Katniss truly want to be the face of this war? Is she really the leader that these revolutionaries should all be rallying behind? These are the questions at the heart of Part 1 and by the end of the film, I was satisfied in my understanding of where all of the players stood and was ready for the defining chapter.

Jennifer Lawrence remains the glue that holds this franchise together. Though the actress is now receiving the inevitable backlash her popularity brings, she remains one of the most talented young actresses working today. For much of the film, Katniss is not a revolutionary. She is a young woman solely concerned with saving Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), the man she may or may not love. Her thoughts are not of bringing down President Snow, nor of leading troops to battle. Katniss never wanted any of this, and that distaste for war shines through in Lawrence’s earnest performance.

The only downside for these films, for this reviewer anyway, would be the elongated love-triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale (an almost wasted Liam Hemsworth). It is no real fault with the actors, but the connection between Katniss and Peeta (which is very important to the climax of the film) never elevates above middling in its emotional resonance. It has not worked since the first film, and it continues to be a singular disappointment in an otherwise strong franchise.

All of the remaining actors authoritatively handle their roles and in the world of Young Adult adaptations, Hunger Games is now running a close 2^nd to Harry Potter in how talented these casts are. Philip Seymour Hoffman (whom the film is lovingly dedicated to) and Julianne Moore reunited for the first time since Boogie Nights, and their partnership was well worth the wait. Sutherland remains the go-to guy for charming miscreants and, of course, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks remain the film’s top-shelf comic relief. A necessity for a film series as dour as this one.

Overall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is an entertaining film and a strong bridge to the concluding chapter next year. Not as strong as the previous films, which is to be expected for film telling only half of a story, but engaging enough to keep us rallied together for the finale. Both of the Lawrence’s bring their A-game and the film concludes with all of us non-readers and readers alike dying to see how this all plays out.

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider