The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I

Previous reviews for the Hunger Games films can be found below:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games

District 13 looks like a crappy Hogwarts!

It should be no secret by now that I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games books. They are intense, gripping, and one of my favorite trilogies of novels. That being said, they do have their faults, what with an overt focus on a love triangle, some odd tendencies to hold fashion above all, etc. They are all forgivable, yes, but it's these faults that remind us that they are YA novels. 

What I love even more than the books is what the films have done to the story. 

Collins' underlying work is still there and adapted beautifully, but these films are doing a great job at making this story so much more than the YA novel it started out as. With Catching Fire last year and now Mockingjay Part 1 I think it's obvious that this is becoming a study of revolutions and how they either flourish or crumble. Catching Fire was largely the initial execution, or the spark, of the revolution and as we all know, it was an intense and well made film. This first half of Mockingjay is really the study of the set up for the overthrow -- propaganda, image, strategy, loss, sacrifice -- all are key elements of revolutions and all are focused on in this film. It's certainly much less action-heavy than its predecessors, and personally I'm not convinced that it needed two films in the first place, but director Francis Lawrence has still done a fine job at creating an intriguing slow burn of a film. 

Moves and counter-moves, both physical and psychological

Many will be disgruntled that this film was shifted into two parts, especially given that the book is just shy of only 400 pages. I think that many of the people who make the decisions to split these books forget that when Harry Potter did it with the Deathly Hallows, there was good reason, as that book was filled to the brim with plot and nearly 800 pages long (by my memory). I think it's a valid complaint for this movie being split up into two, and I certainly think of that decision as a CON. That being said, having just re-read the novel, there are a significant amount of details and events that happen "off the page". I won't list them as to not spoil the plot, but there was a lot more room to work with than I had originally remembered. Kudos to Lawrence (who probably didn't make the decision to split this film) to recognizing that and adding/expanding some fantastic scenes that truly dont feel "tacked" on to expand the run time. Again I won't spoil them here, but there were several that I was very appreciative of as they offered a different perspective than just Katniss's.

*Slightly* better aim than a Stormtrooper

Not even the worst of his injuries

Speaking of Katniss, when we meet her, she is psychologically scarred from the results of Catching Fire. She questions why she lived, why they didn't save Peeta, and just what role she is to play in this revolution. She soon finds out that Plutarch (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and President Coin (Moore) want her to be the image of the revolution...the "Mockingjay". Districts have began to rebel all across Panem, but much like a flame needs oxygen, so too does a revolution need a voice and a hero. Lawrence does as good of a job as she ever has in this series and once again proves that she can lead a film almost effortlessly. Hoffman and Moore are a strong duo as they try to encourage Katniss to join their cause, although there isn't much character development in their direction. Gale (Hemsworth) gets a lot more to do in this iteration, and you start to really feel a bit sorry for him as he is the hero that puts his head down and gets stuff done, but gets none of the gratitude. Personally, I was most impressed with Josh Hutcherson's limited, but powerful role as the slowly deteriorating Peeta. Throughout the film his condition gets visibly worse and Hutcherson displays a range of frantic, but calculated emotions throughout. It might be one of the smaller performances of the film, but I found it to be the most powerful.

The film itself is another display in far above average quality of film making for YA novel adaptations. You can tell that everyone involved is taking it seriously, including director Lawrence, who once again proves that he was a strong choice to head this franchise. There is a gravity that the films has, especially with its focus on the details of this Part I, that the books lack as they rushed forward to a conclusion. When there is action, it's well filmed, but features some shaky special effects here and there (surprising coming from a franchise that has as much money as this one does). There are a few fantastic scenes throughout the film that have exquisite and powerful editing and the entirety of the film is encased in a good original score. 

Twinsie Tuesday!

People can complain and complain all they want about Mockingjay being split into two parts. At the end of the day, did it need to be? Not really. But at the end of the day there is also nothing we can do about it. And when you take a bit of a more mature mindset into the theater with you, realizing that this is The Hunger Games without the actual "Hunger Games" or the "final battle" I think you'll be more than impressed with just how well the film does with only ~ 150 pages of material. 

In the grand scheme of the franchise, Mockingjay Part I might be the least "thrilling" or "exciting" by definition, but it also might be the most critical at establishing this as a great series permanently. 

It's no longer about the games that pitted tributes against one another until death. No...Mockingjay Part I represents the beginnings of a new game entirely. The game of a revolution. 

CONS:

• I fault the executives that made the decision to split this film into two parts but...(see in PROS)
• The film loses steam in several spots and drags in small sections
• Some spotty CGI at times and for a film franchise with this much earning power that's just silly
• It's certainly less exciting than the other films, or at least, differently exciting

PROS:

• ...Francis Lawrence and Co. make the most of the material that they are given to work with in a solid adaptation of the first half of the novel. Side note: they also choose a good stopping point
• The film focuses on the right themes and plot elements and is able to achieve a gravity and seriousness greater than those in the novels
• The performances are solid all around with Lawrence and particularly Hutcherson being the standouts for me
• Well filmed action when it does occur. Some very tense moments
• A couple fantastic scenes, including an infiltration scene near the end that was gripping from start to finish
• Good cinematography
• Solid original score
• With the slower pace, the film takes the time to expand on the characters and add more depth to them, all while focusing on some of the more important elements of a revolution that the ADD generation might find "boring" (i.e. propaganda, image, etc.)

Rath's Review Score: 8.5/10