The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Movie Review

Since they began in 2012, the film adaptations of The Hunger Games trilogy have been met with great mainstream success, putting them alongside the likes of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. The end is beckoning for Suzanne Collin’s dystopian series, but by splitting the final book into two parts, we’re left with a somewhat lacking opening chapter.

Picking up immediately after Catching Fire, Mockingjay sees Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) moved out of District 12 and into an underground bunker, where the resistance has begun laying plans to strike against the capital of Panem and its tyrannical dictator President Snow. Led by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and assisted by Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the resistance aims to use Katniss as a symbol; a rallying cry for the oppressed to come together and fight back. Mockingjay Part 1 is a very static movie; aside from the ruins of District 12, the film takes place almost exclusively in the resistance bunker where Katniss takes parts in various acts of propaganda, whilst others, such as her best friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) carry out other tasks to grow the resistance. Those who have read the book will notice that only a small amount of material is present in this opening chapter and because of this, the film’s plotline does take a hefty knock. Because of the lack of proper action, Part 1 fails to produce a good build-up which will carry over into next year’s finale. We do see reminders that the Capital’s forces are always lingering in the background, but you never get the sense that things are becoming more and more intense as the plot really doesn’t go anywhere important. It also feels like decisive cuts were made just for this film; we really don’t learn anything new about the setting or the characters that inhabit them which stands at a huge contrast to the previous two films. Whilst the plot of Mockingjay Part 1 may satisfy the biggest fans of the titular book regardless, it comes off as being quite muted for everyone else.

The characters of Mockingjay maintain mostly the same performances that were seen in Catching Fire. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is again excellent in the way she channels both the heartbreak of seeing District 12 destroyed and the enormous burden which is placed on her by the resistance; she remains one of the strongest heroines in modern film. The other characters maintain their traits; the loyal Gale, the light-hearted Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), and the comedic Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), who has ditched the fancy garments of the capital for a more basic rebel style. Regretfully though, the returning actors never really get a chance to show off their full talents because the thin plot gives them so little to work with. As for the new characters, they do look the part, but most of them really don’t do much to make their presence known. Natalie Dormer attempts to portray a strong parallel to Katniss with Cressida, but all she really does is bark commands to film the rebel’s propaganda every now and again. Colonel Boggs (Mahershala Ali) is quite commanding in his presence but most of his lines come off as really generic and samey, fitting into the gruff military commander type. The one exception to this is President Coin who does make an impression through her strong-willed mannerisms. You’ll find yourself drawn to the characters you remember, yet detached from the ones that are introduced in Mockingjay: Part 1, making the overall casting mixed in quality.

With District 12 having been destroyed at the end of the previous film, Mockingjay takes advantage of this by using destructive imagery to put across a gritty tone which the plot fails to match; when Katniss surveys the ruins and witnesses the fatalities of the capital’s most ruthless attacks, you hold an even greater dislike for the antagonists than ever before. There’s also a fair few serene moments layered across the narrative, reminding the audience that Part 1 is more “calm before the storm” than a direct build-up. The action (what little there is of it) is well shot and the music (which was composed by popular singer Lorde) fits both the setting and themes just as well as the previous soundtracks. It’s a shame that the plot gives little room for more dazzling sights and imaginative costume designs seen in the first two films, but ultimately the presentation of Mockingjay: Part 1 is acceptable enough.

Mockingjay Part 1 does what it sets out to do well enough, but the underdeveloped new characters and a plot that lacks urgency make it the weakest of the series. This is one case where splitting the film into two parts wasn’t really necessary or justified. Fans of the series will have no qualms with it at all, but most will come away expecting much more, especially from a series which has surged in popularity.

Rating: 3/5 Stars