Here’s What They’re Saying About: THE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY PART 1

For me, The Hunger Games is an alright movie franchise, it probably would hold even less appeal for me if I didn’t like Jennifer Lawrence so much – she’s got a quality that’s part girl from the wrong side of the tracks, without cheap skin or hair; she seems sensible and mature, and at the same time, fun and fresh; she’s got edge without the apathy of a Kristen Stewart.  In other words, she has the presence to carry off a movie that’s mostly production and atmosphere.  I mean, I get the creativity behind Suzanne Collins’ Dystopian world, brought to life by directors Gary Ross and then Francis Lawrence. And yes, the social commentary of allowing a dictatorship government to get a hold on things to the point they can demand sacrifices, is a worthwhile examination; but there’s always an element to this story that seems to be missing for me to really feel engaged.

In the The Hunger Games (click for T&T post) it was hard for me to get past the young tributes allowed to compete. I felt the games were more compelling in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, because the competitors were more well matched, experienced and much older.  I thought with The Hunger Games: MockingJay Part 1, being about the rebellion, it would be a good change away from the games; but in truth, I missed them.  This 3rd installment to the franchise (cut in half) is slow, gray and moody. Mainly consisting of a tit for tat going on between the Mockingjay Rebellion, hidden underground in the rock of a mountain, lead by a harsh, ashen-looking President Coin (Julianne Moore) and her “Carl Rove” Plutarch Heavensbee (deceased Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the government run by white rose wearing despot, President Snow (Donald Sutherland). The tension and danger is hardly edge of your seat action. For me, it’s easy to watch it all rather dispassionately.

I say all this with fear of losing my friendship with fellow movie writer Thomasena Farrar of MusicMoviesThoughts, who is quite passionate about this franchise – but that’s the wonder of movies, you never know what just hits you, and want kinda bounces off.
T &T’s LAMB Score: 2.5 outta 5 –
Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

Around the Web

…Shame on Lionsgate and director Francis Lawrence for being so shallow to cut Mockingjay into two films. It does not work…at all. The film will still rake in a ridiculous amont of money at the box office, but I hope the fanboys and girls will recognize Part 1 for what it is, a waste of time; a placeholder to take more of your money while you wait for Part 2… READ MORE Citizen Charlie

…Director Francis Lawrence and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong have done a decent job at keeping the pace up knowing that they are trying to fill two movies worth of material. There is relief in knowing that author Suzanne Collins provided the adaptation and serves as one of the executive producers of the film…READ MORE Paul’s Trip to the Movies

…Some will not be pleased with the film’s deliberate pace, which is no doubt a side effect of the cash grab tactics of splitting a single novel into two films. However, the calm pace added so much more to the film than it took away. For one, we get to spend time opening up this beautiful world that Suzanne Collins created in her novels, which rarely ever left District 12 or The Capitol in the first 2 films. It also adds an air of tension to every scene in the film, as you slowly watch the pot boil over into a full scale war. By slowing down, the film grounds itself in realism, echoing real historical events such as the bombing of Dresden and The Blitz of London. Even Katniss’ propaganda tour of the rebelling ditsricts parallels the war bond tours of WW2 — all of this is employed to make the plight of the rebellion connect with a historical sense of the greater good, and it works perfectly… READ MORE David Costill CutPrintFilm