The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianna Moore
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[Rating: 4/5]

Finally the tween sensation that was actually justified by its hype, The Hunger Games franchise, is coming to a close… kind of. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your views on the matter, Hollywood has developed a trend over the last few years when reaching the end of a saga. You can split it in half. Instead of succinctly wrapping up a series in a final film that satisfyingly concludes a story; you can hack apart that final chapter and release it as two films. Often this leads to a first half that leaves the audience with a distinct and obvious lack of closure for the story they just sat through for two hours and a second half chock full of action and suspense that probably could have just been cut down a bit and put into the first film. Still, it can be a good thing that you get to spend more time with the characters and worlds you have grown to love. Considering The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, however, will it run into the usual pit-falls of being a ‘Part 1’ or will it actually be able to hold its own as a standalone film?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 takes off from where Catching Fire left off, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has been liberated from the Hunger Games and from the clutches of evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) by secret District 13er Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to the safety of a secret military-esque underground base that houses the secret and long-lost District 13, run by their (actually elected) President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). Coin and Heavensbee approach Katniss to be the face of their rebellion, a symbol for all the other districts to rise up and finally bring down the Capitol for once and for all. Katniss, however, is reluctant and only agrees to be the face of their propaganda campaign if they promise to rescue fellow Hunger Games contestant Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and the other survivors from the clutches of the Capitol at the earliest possible opportunity. Katniss covertly travels the District war zones, followed by documentarian Cressida (Natalie Dormer), with her childhood friend and love-triangle-participant Gale (Liam Hemsworth) until a freak and unexpected attack from the Capitol on District 13’s base leads to a unique chance to potentially rescue Peeta and the other survivors from the Capitol’s clutches.

There is a level of maturity in both character and subject matter that sets The Hunger Games films apart from the rest of the young adult films bombarding the market these days. Sure, it fits a lot of the usual tropes of dystopian society, a special young person that is the only one who can save the world and rebellion against evil authoritarian figures, but the themes and ideas behind this series are what truly make it shine. Intrigued by the depiction of media, image and public perception seen in the first two instalments it was curious to see how, and if, the series was going to continue its commentary on the power of media without actually having the famed Hunger Games itself within the story. I was not disappointed as Mockingjay delivers a surprisingly grounded and intriguing commentary on both the beneficial and destructive forces of Propaganda. The film impressively shows both sides of the coin, with a  distinct lack of naivety, of the rebellious District 13 trying to crack through the Capitol’s defences with rousing messages from Katniss all while the Capitol itself uses it’s media superpower and it’s thrall over Peeta to throw out counter-measures to placate the masses. It is easily the most interesting and prominent aspect of this film, a film that otherwise definitely feels like more of a place-holder film for the franchise than its own individual entry.

While the themes are strong and the commentary succinct and effective, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 still feels incomplete. While none of it was unnecessary, per se, there were definitely chunks of the film that could easily have been cut down and condensed into montages without any actual loss to the story. Still, it was nice not to rush too fast and to spend time exploring the world and characters we had only seen glimpses of before, namely Gale and Primrose. That said, this still feels like half of the story and is basically a film that consists of only two acts. Luckily, stellar performances from all fronts really drive this instalment home.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is definitely an interesting and enjoyable film with some surprisingly mature commentary on the use of propaganda in times of war, but it still only feels like a fraction of a whole instead of its own complete chapter. Fantastic performances, kinetic action and a handful of emotionally affecting scenes still make this a ‘must see’ if you are at all invested in this franchise. If anything, you will mostly be pissed off that you have to wait an entire year until the series comes to its final epic conclusion. You know, unless they decide to split that into two-parts as well.