The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Review

The final book in the wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy received very mixed reactions upon its release. The ending in particular divided fans down the middle. Some were indifferent to it, some enjoyed it (I did), but many hated how the story wrapped up. Basically after Catching Fire, which is considered by most to be the best book in the trilogy, Mockingjay just could not live up to the expectations. And it seems that it may be the same case for the film series as well, especially since they are dragging out the final installment into two films. The first Hunger Games film was a good adaptation and entertaining film, but last year's Catching Fire blew it out of the water on all fronts, and I would probably rank it among some of the best sequels ever made. Consequently, the expectations for the first part of Mockingjay were very high. Does the adaptation live up to the hype? Or does the film follow the same trend of the book series?

The film opens with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) confined to life in District 13, which serves as the headquarters for the rebellion against the Capitol and the cruelty of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Her home, District 12, has been destroyed by the Capitol, her friend/lover Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has been taken prisoner, and the head of District 13, President Coin (Julianne Moore) wants Katniss to be the symbol of the rebellion that the other districts can unite under. All of this, in addition to her fragile mental state caused by taking part in two Hunger Games, has Katniss in a really difficult place at the start of the film, and she will have to rely on her friends and mentors to help her see the right path to choose.

And that's about it, there isn't really much going on plot wise in part 1 of Mockingjay. In fact, roughly 75% of the film takes place inside the underground war bunker of District 13, and that scenery gets old fast. Even in the two scenes where Katniss ventures outside to other districts, both set pieces look almost identical and it makes you wonder if they just used to same props and put them in different spaces. The lack of colorful environments is really noticeable when compared to the past two films in the franchise. In Catching Fire, we followed Katniss from the desolate District 12, to the various (and different) districts, to the colorful and vibrant Capitol, and then into the tropical arena. Again, having to spend most of this film underground makes it drag, and makes it difficult to stay interested.

And the flawed plot-structure doesn't help the pacing of the film either. What's odd about the start of the film is that is really feels like we are coming into the middle of the film. It's almost as if we are picking up after a commercial break, and it feels awkward. And of course, since this is a two-part film, the ending is really still the middle as well. So instead of the basic, three-act structure, there is just a two hour "middle." What's really upsetting is the film really starts to gain momentum in the last fifteen minutes. Exciting things happen, new threats are introduced, Josh Hutcherson starts to showcase a haunting performance....but then it ends. And all that excitement fueled by those elements it unfortunately cut short.

And this leads to the main problem plaguing Mockingjay Part 1...that it is called PART ONE. It is obvious from watching this film this was not meant to be a two-part film. It makes sense that the final Harry Potter was two parts since the book is huge and has a lot of stuff happening. It makes sense that Avengers 3 will be two parts because it will feature every Marvel super hero known to man. I can even give the final Twilight film a pass for having a two part film adaption because the book has a large multi-narrative structure. The same isn't the case for Mockingjay, as there just isn't enough happening to justify two, two hour films. Unlike the previous two installments, this film feature only one brief action scene. Unlike the previous two installments, this film doesn't move it's characters storylines forward in any meaningful way (there were hints of this at the very end, but...it was the very end). And unlike the previous two installments, there was just a lack of excitement.

I have no doubt that Part 2 of Mockingjay will be a great conclusion to the series. The second half of the book is full of intense action, shocking character revelations, death, romance, and all the stuff you want to see in the finale of a blockbuster franchise. The filmmakers didn't have a lot to work with in the first half the Mockingjay, and they do little to try to add in any excitement. Aside: It's a shame that the three best scenes in the movie don't even feature Katniss. End of Aside. My advice, skip Part 1 and just wait for Part 2, you won't be missing out on much of anything, and any Hunger Games fan could easily fill you in on the very few important details while the trailers are showing before the film.