The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
123 minutes
First things first, there’s no Games in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Instead, most of the time we are in an underground bunker in the supposedly destroyed District 13 where Katniss wakes up in a hospital bed after being rescued from the Quarter quell Games in the last film. Soon she finds out that while she’s been out, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and two other previous victors of the Games have been captured by the Capitol and that there is a revolution coming where she’s supposed to play the role of a “Mockingjay” – an official symbol of the rebellion. While she’s reluctant to do this, Katniss agrees to the plan on two conditions: that Peeta and the other victors will be liberated from Capitol – and that her sister gets to keep her cat (apparently animals are not allowed into the premises of the strict District 13). Unfortunately, Katniss is ever so awkward trying to act in the rebels’ propaganda videos (as Haymitch, forced to sobriety since not only animals but alcohol, too, is forbidden in the bunker, puts it: “This is how a revolution dies”), so she’s thrown straight into the battlefield to get real emotions out of her. And this is what the main plot of the rest of the film is – shooting propaganda and trying to save Peeta.
Mockingjay – Part 1 is the first of the two films based on the last novel of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy that end the film series. It follows the footsteps of Harry Potter and Twilight that also ended up splitting the last book into two films. Sometimes, say, if a book is very long and eventful, this can be a good choice to avoid either overly long film adaptations or having to skip too many important scenes. But since Mockingjay was the weakest of The Hunger Games novels, one cannot but wonder whether there was any other reason for prolonging the film series than the fact that it is a major box-office hit bound to make a lot of money for its makers. Even though we are in war zone now, the absence of the Games and the magnificent settings they had in the first two films diminish the excitement a bit. Also, a major part of the film is taken by Katniss in front of the camera, trying to encourage the revolutionaries. And since, let’s be honest, she’s not that great in it even in the battlefield, at some point it stops being very engaging.
However, the acting is, yet again, superb. Could we love Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss more? The girl who is, at the same time, tough and vulnerable, awkward and dazzling, rebellious and still taking responsibility of so many things out of her power is so authentic that she catches your eye and won’t let it wonder. Donald Sutherland is again captivating and more ruthless than ever as President Snow, while Julianne Moore is cool and efficient as the rebel leader of Disctrict 13, Alma Coin. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the ex-Gamemaker, now the media advisor of President Coin, Plutarch Heavensbee so effortlessly well that it is bittersweet to watch knowing the Mockingjays were his last work. Also, some of the “extra time” in the film is used for deepening the characters which, of course, is always a good thing. The film also goes further into the political themes of the series instead of running through the kills of the tributes, like in the previous films, which makes an interesting change. It is not often that a young adult film explores propaganda and other political tools this way but it is fitting in today’s social media world where you can go viral and get famous in seconds. It just could have been done better than merely showcasing what fabulous white-boards and eye-controllable cameras they have in the future.
Luckily, Effie (now “condemned to a life of jumpsuits” as she takes political refuge in District 13) and Haymitch are both still in the picture, bringing a few subtly humorous moments to the otherwise gloomy war movie. And don’t get me wrong, at times Mockingjay really is spine-chillingly exciting. In the most captivating scene the revolutionaries give a powerful rendition of the Hanging Tree, a song originally sang by Katniss in one of the propaganda videos, while taking action against the Capitol. Trust me, you’ll get goose bumps. Even if the one action-packed scene of the movie is a bit run through.