The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

Genre

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Francis Lawrence

Country

USA

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Natalie Dormer, Mahershala Ali, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Jena Malone, Stef Dawson, Patina Miller, Evan Ross, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson, Robert Knepper, Sarita Choudhury

Storyline

With the Games destroyed, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), along with Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), end up living with the rebels in district 13 after President Snow (Donald Sutherland) destroyed the other districts except for district two. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore), Katniss because the 'Mockingjay', the symbol of rebellion for the districts of Panem.

Opinion

We are near the end, the Hunger Games are almost over. And to be honest, this should have been the end. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is a slow, dull, average, and disappointing half third chapter, that leaves more room for feelings, leaving action, thrills, and excitement behind, and it just doesn't have enough content to fill a 2 hours film.

Being both Part 1 and Part 2 shot at the same time, they should have taken their time to edit the film, so to save us both time and money. But since the editing guys had to be paid, and the release of a film only would have definitely halved the incomes, they opted for a bad film instead. Hopefully just one.

In few words, the story is an extremely long preview of what to expect in the final film. But I'm not going to blame the screenwriters on this. Of course, it's not their fault. It is more than obvious that it is not that easy to extend a one book story in two long parts. But at least I enjoyed what they did with Josh Hutcherson and Philip Seymour Hoffman's characters.

Fortunately, the film has Jennifer Lawrence, whose charm and unbelievable acting skills prevent the audience from falling asleep, and save the film from being a complete fail. Also she sings James Howard's "The Hanging Tree" quite well. Donald Sutherland gives another great performance as President Snow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman just nails his character. But the same cannot be said for Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and new entry Julianne Moore as President Coin, who although has a certain presence, fails in capturing the essence of the character. 

Quotes

President Snow: Miss Everdeen, it is the things we love most that destroy us.