 Tagline: Fire burns brighter in the darkness Tagline: The courage of one will change the world When Katniss destroys the games, she goes to District 13 after District 12 is destroyed. She meets President Coin who convinces her to be the symbol of rebellion, while trying to save Peeta from the Capitol. The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the third in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone. Written by (c) Lionsgate Storyline: With the Games now destroyed and in pieces, Katniss Everdeen, along with Gale, Finnick and Beetee, now end up in the so thought "destroyed" District 13. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her friends, Katniss becomes the "Mockingjay" and the symbol of rebellion for the people. Written by floraxie06 Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, March 4, 2015 -- The questionable marketing gambit of splitting one book into two (or in some cases, even more) films may make sense from a potential box office standpoint, but it has some built in risks which can debilitate if not outright threaten whatever franchise is involved. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 were seen by many as an overly rapacious attempt to wring as much moolah out of the ticket buying populace as possible, though most critics (including our own Ken Brown, who reviewed the films here and here ) were won over by the two films' overall dramatic heft and pacing sensibilities. When Twilight Forever: The Complete Saga split its "final" entry into The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 following Harry Potter's bifurcated approach, fewer were convinced the tactic was anything other than an obvious cash grab, though it must be admitted that if it were only a tactic, it worked spectacularly well, something that no doubt caught the further attention of already interested Hollywood bean counters. The sheer volume and density of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic Lord of the Rings prequel probably helped to make Peter Jackson's decision to trifurcate that novel into what became The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy more palatable. The difference in literary quality between the Tolkien and J.K. Rowling tomes and those of Stephanie Meyer perhaps played at least a small part in the somewhat less adulatory responses to the Breaking Dawn films, and that same issue may in fact hobble how fans feel about one of the latest "two-fers" that the avaricious film industry has foisted on the paying public, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Even many rabid aficionados of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games (supposed) trilogy found the final novel to be the least compelling of the bunch, and there's a certain minor if still noticeable downward turn in this cinematic first half of the last book that the upcoming "final final" film (currently slated for the pre-Christmas marketplace later this year) will have to struggle to overcome. Those who have stuck with the ongoing saga of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) will no doubt find more than enough in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 to distract from some of the film's lethargy, but this is one case where less (as in one film instead of two) conceivably could have been considerably more. Note: It's impossible to discuss The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 without detailing plot points from the first two films as well as giving a general indication of what goes on in this particular outing. While there are no overt spoilers about this film in the following part of the review, those who are sensitive to even the suggestion of plot points (which in and of themselves are of course "spoilers" in one form or another) are urged to simply skip down to the technical portion of the review, below. Much like Richard Conway in Lost Horizon or Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?, Katniss finds herself ensconced in a secret place which supposedly doesn't exist as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 gets underway. The fact that District 13 does exist isn't that much of a surprise, but Katniss' response to being at "Ground Zero" for the rebellion is at least a little unexpected and gives this film the bulk of its conflict, unlike the first two outings where Katniss had both the Hunger Games themselves to contend with, as well as the incipient skirmishes with the nefarious President Snow (Donald Sutherland). While the first two films exploited visceral action sequences, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is a considerably more intellectual affair, concentrating instead on issues like propaganda and a hero's (or in this case, heroine's) willingness to go along with a "marketing campaign" that is ostensibly being mounted for the greater good, even if it grates on more honorable sensibilities. Katniss finds herself a wobbly semi-willing pawn in the hands of Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and District 13's President, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). Plutarch and Coin see Katniss as a ready made symbol for the rebellion and want her to partake in a bunch of rabble rousing videos meant to whip up support throughout the rest of the Districts. Katniss, while originally uncertain about this gambit, finally gives in when Coin agrees to help free the other erstwhile Hunger Games combatants, including Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who are being held by Snow and his cohorts in Capitol City. This more "philosophical" approach is actually one of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1's more interesting elements, but it's enervated by pacing issues, where it's all too obvious that screenwriters Danny Strong and Peter Craig want to pad the film with sidebars in order to get to a point where—well, where it will finally be time for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. There's also a certain disconnect in this film between the ongoing carnage at the hands of Snow, something that has already devastated Katniss' former home of District 12, and the almost weirdly obsessive tendency on the part of Katniss with regard to Peeta. It becomes relatively obvious early on that Peeta, who seems to be in league with Snow and the "official" government, is being as manipulated as Katniss is, though perhaps in a different way. There are some other interesting elements in various nooks and crannies of this overstuffed film. Both Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) are back, thrust into unaccustomed roles, or at least modes of behaviors. Haymitch's is motivated from within, as he attempts to stay on the wagon, while Effie's is dictated from without, when she finds herself stranded in District 13 without her fashion accessories. There's also a somewhat unexpected climactic development that plays like a warped version of The Manchurian Candidate, but too much of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 seems built on a flimsy, low stakes premise that tends to undercut the decidedly high stakes parameters of the first two films. Perhaps if The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hadn't been such a generally exciting and well done second chapter in this supposed "trilogy," the flaws of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 wouldn't be so pronounced. This is an oddly static offering, one that admittedly has a number of really interesting elements, but which never works up much momentum or (even more importantly) emotional heft. Fans of the franchise will no doubt be willing to (at least largely) forgive the film its shortcomings, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 already has its work cut out for it. Technical merits are very strong and the supplemental package is well done, and with caveats noted, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 comes Recommended. [CSW] -3.5- While it's disappointing that this film is only half the book, it's well done. Katniss is truly moving and inspirational when least expected. Much of the movie depicts Katniss' uncertainty about being the Mockingjay and what that means. If they did as good a job on Part 2, we're in for a heck of a finish to this series, but it will be a full year before Part 2 comes out. While it is a great film, you need to watch the first two installments to best appreciate it. The film is dedicated to the deceased Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who reprises his role as Plutarch Heavensbee. --- The Hanging tree song --- Are you, are you Coming to the tree They strung up a man They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight. In the hanging tree. ---- Second Verse Substitute--- Where the dead man called out For his love to flee. ---- Third Verse --- Where I told you to run, So we'd both be free. ---- Forth Verse --- Wear a necklace of hope, (changed from "a necklace of rope") Side by side with me. ---- Repeat --- Cast Notes: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Donald Sutherland (President Snow), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee), Julianne Moore (President Alma Coin), Willow Shields (Primrose Everdeen), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair), Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket), Mahershala Ali (Boggs), Jena Malone (Johanna Mason), Jeffrey Wright (Beetee), Paula Malcomson (Katniss' Mother), Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman). IMDb Rating (02/10/15): 7.1/10 from 127,187 users
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