The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Review

I was a little apprehensive about Mockingjay being split into two parts. The book was very slow to get started, and I was afraid Part 1 would feel tedious as a result. I sort of expected this one to not get as great a reaction from critics and fans, and suffer at the box office a little (compared to past franchise entries). That seems to be exactly what's happening. Nevertheless, I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed this movie. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of the previous film, it's a surprisingly satisfying penultimate installment in the Hunger Games franchise that is probably just as good, if not better than the first movie.

I'm a fan of the Hunger Games books, and the film adaptions that have followed. I'm generally not a fan of Young Adult novels that are turned into movies, but there are a few exceptions. Harry Potter was one; I read and loved the books, and was very pleased with the film franchise. Hunger Games has become another. I enjoyed the first film, even with the abundance of shaky cam. Catching Fire was on a whole other level, which I was very glad about since that was my favorite of the novels. Now we've come to Mockingjay. As I previously stated, the first half of the book was drawn out, detail-heavy, and didn't have a ton of plot in it. In a book, this isn't that much of a problem. In a film, however, it can prove to be quite boring.

Led by Francis Lawrence's sure-handed direction, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 transcends the dramatic limitations of the novel and delivers a riveting set-up for what is sure to be a great finale.

The film is filled with great performances, most notably of course from Jennifer Lawrence. She has proven herself to be a fantastic actress in films like Silver Linings Playbook, X-Men: Days of Future Past/X-Men: First Class, and American Hustle. However, this is the franchise that jump-started her career; she will probably always be known as Katniss Everdeen first. She excels in the role, and this might be her best performance of the series.

J-Law is surrounded by really great actors like Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who are all reprising their roles from previous films and all do wonderful jobs. Some other familiar faces include Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, who has been taken by the Capitol and is being used as anti-rebellion propaganda. Liam Hemsworth is Gale Hawthorne once again, and while he can't completely overcome occasionally feeling like the third-wheel, he does a pretty good job. Julianne Moore has joined the cast as President Coin, the leader of the rebellion against the Capitol. She's a good actress, and she was solid in this film.

A lot of critics are getting hung up on the fact that there isn't as much action in this one as there was in the other two. That's true. However, I wouldn't necessarily use that as a point of criticism. The fact that there are less action sequences simply stems from the fact that we are out of the Games. This is now a political chess match, which was the part of the book that I loved. The political aspects of Mockingjay are where the book - and now the film - shines brightest. That is because President Snow has made politics entirely personal. Thus, there's a palpable emotional undercurrent to everything that's going on, which made the film just as enjoyable as if there were thrilling action scenes going on.

Despite the many things that I liked about Mockingjay - Part 1, there were aspects that I didn't care for. A lot of them were the things that I disliked about the book. The most prominent of these is the fact there are patches of time where not much happens. The plot feels stunted, and it feels like the film just hits the brakes. I felt that Francis Lawrence and company did an admirable job minimizing these sections of the movie, but they're somewhat unavoidable if you choose to split a book into two parts. There is going to be down time. As a result, there were parts of the film, namely the first act, that took time to develop and get off the ground.

I pretty much forgot about this once the film got into the swing of things. This isn't as smooth or consistent a movie as its predecessor, but its heights reach quite high. When the film focuses on the complex relationships, political intrigue, and thought-provoking themes that made the books so good, it is quite the ride. I'd go as far as to say that if it weren't for some of the lethargically paced sections of Mockingjay - Part 1, it'd be my favorite of the films so far.

Thanks to a number of excellent performances, skillful direction by Francis Lawrence, and an emotionally effective plot, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 actually exceeded my expectations and has me greatly anticipating the final chapter in the franchise. If you're a little hesitant to go see it because of the supposed drop in quality from the first two films, I think you should definitely form your own opinion on it. It seems to be dividing people, just as the book did.

B+