The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The first Mockingjay is one of the most typical blockbusters in the history of Hollywood. The second most commercially successful film in the Unites States in 2014 and the fifth in the given year in worldwide box-office revenues is completely devoid of money shots, epic scenes and bombastic action sequences. Its two-hour runtime predominantly comprises dialogue scenes, as most of the film takes place in an underground bunker and all of the characters wear baggy coveralls. Here the filmmakers can afford to do what would be commercial suicide anywhere else thanks to the fact that this is a feature-length exposition for the climax, which will come in the second film. The knowledge that, thanks to its title, the film will automatically be a hit regardless of what happens in it gave rise to the film saga’s crucial episode. Instead of a seasonal spectacle, we have here a film that appeals exclusively to adolescent audiences, but instead of the formulaicness and superficiality that is associated with this target group on the part of overly clever old people and pragmatic producers, it relates a narrative from an Orwellian grey world that uncovers deceit and media manipulation, showing the heroine fumbling her way between her own interests and the intentions of others, while offering no resolution of the conflicts that have arisen. (26/06/2016)

That I'm giving it the same rating as, say, Inherent Vice deserves a bit of a defense. Because the third Hunger Games is actually incredibly lame in many individual aspects, by which I mostly mean the protagonist, who casts an indifferent cumshot debutante face in all directions as the planets revolve around her; though she knows she’s hanging on the precipice of a revolution, she still floats around like a noodle in a lunch pail, asserting herself solely through a chafing love triangle with two sets of bangs, airing out her tear ducts so many times throughout the film that I'm not surprised how red her eyes got by the end. The tactics of the reborn rebels' uprising are also worth a mention since they can't come up with anything better than frontal assaults, in which half of them must inevitably die, and the fact that they don't is only because the devil's minions here are a bit reminiscent of stormtroopers. Of course, in the context of young adult films based on books where the last installment is split into two parts, this is far, far behind all its predecessors in terms of some central concept and execution. The strongest aspect of the mediocre previous installment was its exploitation of the media space to ignite a revolutionary spark; Mockingjay works almost exclusively in the field of media warfare and manipulation, which suddenly makes the oppressed poor not collective socialist heroes rising up, but just another manipulated mob, and the tyrannical despotism of the Capitol is now faced down by the other practically tyrannical despotism of District 13. The good news is that the film uses the same means on the viewer as well, with many scenes being accompanied by a leading monologue that gives these scenes a different point of view. Likewise, the cheerful song "Katniss", which becomes the anthem of the revolution, does so because it is officially promoted by the Resistance's recruitment videos and not because it spreads among the people. It's that much better when crucial revolutionary scenes work for the viewer primarily because this song accompanies them. Otherwise, Francis Lawrence does the best he can, and a large part of the this film’s refusal to die is thanks to his abilities. (10/03/2015)

I'd probably be repeating myself if I said that splitting last parts into two or more episodes is more detrimental to the film itself, and the only upside is the producers' and distributors' pockets are more lined. The same is true of the first episode of the third part of Hunger Games installment. All things considered, nothing much happens. While there are a lot of action scenes, it all feels kind of incomplete. Personally, I liked the third book the least, so I wasn't expecting anything special. In short, I would love to punch the face of whoever came up with the idea of splitting “Mockingjay” into two movies (the last Harry Potter at least had a lot to draw from, but with HG, the books aren't that extensive). (25/12/2014)

I'm quite pleasantly surprised. The story of the protagonist in the service of propaganda - the revolution is perhaps unnecessarily intimate (the third installment of a very successful series and there is almost no sign from the decor that it had a blockbuster budget), but it cleverly and amusingly rotates the concept of the Games themselves, because although even this time the cameras are on full time and broadcast for crowds of people, it's a completely different broadcast with a completely different goal. But propaganda also works on the other side, and for a while it is (within the genre) a very decent psychological massage, although, of course, there is no doubt who the good guys and the evil guys are. I have to highlight the scenes with the singing and destruction of the dam, and also the liberation of the hostages, because Francis Lawrence filmed them excellently, they have atmosphere, they are thrilling... And I hope the entire next film will be like that. (16/01/2021)

Both the The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire were, in terms of adaptation for young adults, fantastic and perfectly escalating, but for me they simply couldn't match the quality of the source material. Although in the case of the latter, it was a close call. It is precisely because of this that I was more afraid of them splitting the finale, as its political intrigues and gradual war tactics were by far the weakest (and yet quite numerous) passages in the book. But fate and the producers presented the established creative team with two newcomers, the screenwriting duo of Danny Strong and Peter Craig. It's hard to say how these two came together and what led them to The Hunger Games, but it was a decision that definitively shifts the entire saga into self-sufficient territory. With enough time and emotions, all of which hit the right marks thanks to Jennifer Lawrence's unwavering and, on the contrary, growing acting talents. From the first The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, a constantly suspenseful spectacle has emerged, which despite its apparent aimlessness never loses momentum for a moment, and it offers its share of unforgettable moments (Katniss's song, the rose, the final twist). Now Lawrence and company have nothing to prove, because they handled the most critical moment with shocking finesse and have in front of them the even more treacherous task of adapting the pure gold that is the second half. And yes, I am just as anxious as I am excited. (23/11/2014)