The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay- Part 1 (2014): Written by Danny Strong and Peter
Craig, directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh
Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore,
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and, of course, Donald “I
sell this better than any of you mofos” Sutherland. Running
Time: 123 minutes. Based on the
third book of The Hunger Games
trilogy, by Suzanne Collins.
Rating: 3/4
I am as skeptical as anyone
regarding the newfound trend of splitting up the final volumes of definitive Children’s/Young
Adult literature series when they are made into film form. Not that the result has always been bad! The
Deathly Hallows Part 1, the first Harry
Potter film since Chamber of Secrets
not choked to the gills with plot ended up being probably my second-favorite of
the entire franchise (Sorcerer’s Stone
will always, ALWAYS come first). What
makes it hard to swallow is that it is always painfully obvious the decision to
do so has nothing to do whatsoever with an artistic desire to be able to
translate the source materials as accurately as possible- the studios just want more money. But again, this does
not necessarily make the resulting films bad; in fact, I consider Mockingjay Part 1 to be the best Hunger Games film yet.
I was especially pleased to see the
films continue to slowly but surely expand the scope of the story and action,
much as they did with last year’s Catching Fire. After being rescued from the arena at the end
of the last movie, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, if you have somehow contrived to
remain oblivious to this fact) was informed by Jacob (sorry, Gale, my bad) that
District 12 had been completely annihilated; a return visit to her hometown later
on includes some of the most gruesome imagery I’ve ever seen in a PG-13 film,
once again raising very fair questions about why we continue to hold on to such
an archaic system.
But I digress. She and the others who were saved have been
taken to District 13, which they thought had been wiped out by the Capital long
ago. Instead, it turns out that they
have been hiding in a series of deep bunkers that allow them to hold off
against the worst the Capital can throw at them, where they have also
stockpiled a decent amount of weaponry that allows them to defend themselves,
but is not enough for them to take on the Capital alone. That has all changed since Katniss’ public
persona of the Mockingjay started to really take off in the different
districts, leading to one protest and open rebellion after another. The leaders of District 13, President Alma
Coin and her chief strategist Plutarch Heavensbee (Julianne Moore and Philip
Seymour Hoffman), see this as their chance to seize the initiative and finally
topple the Capital, and after a bit of haggling are able to agree with Katniss
to terms whereby she will agree to work as their poster child to inspire the
Districts.
Something that I heartily enjoy
about this franchise (and thankfully the films have improved in this regard as
well) is how the usual action tropes regarding heroes, villains, and story
twists are all subjected to the iron laws of reality TV, namely that perception
is everything. Every move the characters
make is calculated to appeal to a wider audience, including several speeches
offered by President Coin to the highly-regimented denizens of 13. One of my favorite shots of the movie shows
Plutarch mouthing the words of a speech that he clearly wrote himself in
perfect time with Coin’s delivery. A
major part of the climax at the end hinges on a broadcast meant to be so
fascinating in its implications it will distract the Capital from noticing a
raid to rescue several of the victors from the last movie that were captured by
the Capital after Plutarch made off with Katniss, including definitely-not-a-love-interest-oh-who-are-we-kidding
Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, who over the course of the film completes his
physical transformation into an even thinner version of Neil Patrick Harris,
minus the charisma and singing chops.
It’s no psychology thesis, but the
elements at play of how having to act for cameras almost nonstop can wreak
havoc on your mental health and stability are great to see in a franchise aimed
at teens. I have lamented in the past that
most of Jennifer Lawrence’s past film choices (including the first two films of
this franchise) have done a poor job of tapping into her considerable acting
skills (and yes, I am including her still-incredibly-baffling Oscar win), but
at this point she really seems to have found a good balance with Katniss, and
has grown into the character well. That
said, there is a hilarious scene where she (Katniss the character, that is)
tries to act in a studio ad for 13’s PR team, and the result is an unholy fusion
of her miscast performances in each of David Russell’s last two films.
This is a much slower and less
active film than the first two (again, very much like Deathly Hallows Part 1),
since it’s really just moving the major pieces into place for the INSANE stuff
that goes down in the final battle (seriously, the books go to a very dark
place here, and I am praying the movie producers don’t chicken out). It’s real focus is on the PR war being waged
between the Capital and the rebellion to win the hearts and minds of all the
districts in between, with the rebels utilizing Katniss, who soon develops an
ability to come up with perfect propaganda moments without even needing to try
when she’s in the right setting, and the Capital using an obviously-tortured
Peeta-as-Barney to plead with the rebels to surrender.
These developments, along with a
major plot twist right before the end, all fuel Katniss’ continuing mental
breakdown, something Jennifer has been doing an increasingly better job of
bringing across. I love how the first
shot we have of our hero is of her having a massive panic attack and being
forced to return to her quarters. We
have so many action movies that show off their heroes as totally cool badasses
who can kick ass, take names, and carry on after the final boss has fallen as
if nothing ever happened, when in reality, anyone who would actually do things
like that would sooner or later end up like Katniss; whimpering on the floor of
a medical facility.
I am on the fence about Julianne
Moore as Coin at the moment; my thoughts about her character won’t yet be
finished until I can see whether or not the filmmakers really do take the gutsy
route with the finale (readers of the book know what I mean). The same must be said regarding the others as
well. Katniss’ family barely registers, Gale
and Peeta continue to compete for who can have the least amount of physical
charisma when the cameras are rolling, and out of a team of filmmakers brought
in to capture Katniss at her best, the only memorable one is the cameraman incapable
of speaking (go figure, I guess?).
The lone exceptions to this are
Donald Sutherland’s deliciously evil President Snow and, of course, Philip
Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch. After his
death, I revisited my review of Catching
Fire, and recalled being disappointed in his seeming utter lack of energy
in the film. I don’t know if that was
connected to the increasing struggles that led to his death. Maybe it was, or maybe it was something
unrelated, but it seems he was able to shake it off for this one, because here
he once again manages to take a character that in less-capable hands would be a
total write-off and turn him into a sideshow all his own, never less than
interesting to watch. As the credits
roll, we see a dedication to him, one that I hope they include in the final one
as well (they were apparently finished with all but a single scene of his at
the time of his death). It is one final
great performance from a master, and makes his passing even harder to
bear.
The show must go on, of course, and
the film rolls to a decent conclusion, but one that ultimately undercuts itself
enough that I once again don’t feel comfortable labeling this a legitimately
great film- it’s just a very good one. There
are reasons for this- some stilted acting, and a few very awkward directorial
choices, including the fact that every speech of Coin’s ends with the citizens
of 13 hooting like tailgaters at a football game. But the saddest part is how the plot twist
mentioned above also undermines it, mostly because the director decided that
the film should just keep going for a bit afterwards. If they had ended it at the twist, it would
have been one of the ballsiest decisions of the year, leaving people furiously
chomping at the bit for the final installment.
I understand why they did it- they choose instead to end on an image
that is well-done and effecting on its own, but it inevitably pales in
comparison to what just recently transpired, leaving things feeling a touch too
safe by the time the credits roll.
But no matter. This franchise keeps getting better with each
film, and I am very much looking forward to next year’s big finale. Here’s hoping they send Katniss out
proper. And maybe use some of this film’s massive profits to buy her boyfriends some Red Bull.
-Noah
Franc
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