*** ½ out of ****
Sometimes I really don't understand
movie critics. When “The Hunger Games” came out in 2012 I
thought it was only a moderately okay movie. It was a nice waste of
2 hours, but nothing particularly special. Then in 2013 when
“Catching Fire” was released, I considered it a nice improvement
on the first – it was more intense, better acted and had far
superior production values. I would have given them both 2 and a
half stars, with a slightly higher recommendation to “Catching
Fire”. But the critics LOVED them – they had 84% and 89% Rotten
Tomatoes scores respectively.
So when I saw that the latest release
“Mockingjay Part 1” was only receiving a 65% rating, I was in no
hurry to go off the theatre to see it. Turns out I was late to
the party – critics be damned, this is simply a different class of
film. It is really, really good; far better than its two
predecessors.
When we last saw Katniss Everdeen she
had just been rescued from the games and found herself in the midst
of a revolution. The remaining 12 districts of Panem have had enough
of the repression of the capital and, using Katniss as their
figurehead, are striking back. Perhaps it is the discontented
revolutionary deep within me speaking, but this is not like the
slightly silly concept driving the original films – this is an idea
that stirs feelings in all of us when we see injustice. We
want to fight back (but rarely do) and love to see oppressors beaten
down. A much more interesting theme that has led to a far superior
movie experience.
The revolution is being led by
“President” Coin (the modern day Jefferson Davis of the film),
and among her key advisers is former game-master Pultarch Heavensbee,
as well as Katniss' friends Gale and Haymitch. Since it was Katniss'
rebellious actions in the games that originally led to the revolution, they
all want to hold her up as the figurehead for the revolt. They film staged settings
for her, where she appears to be in the midst of the fighting (complete with
CGI) but her acting fall flat; she can only appear revolutionary
when she is really in the middle of it. So against their better
judgment, they send her out into the districts where the real fighting is happening.
Of course this is the best thing they
could have done because Katniss really is a warrior – her fighting on the front lines (with a camera crew at her back) repeatedly displays what the revolution is all about, and airing the footage inspires
more and more people to take part. Before long it is full out war
complete with late night sabotage, covert operations and hard line artillery shelling
going on.
Many critics are calling "Mockingjay" slow and
lacking in action, but I felt that director Francis Lawrence paced
this film beautifully. It isn't the slam-bang action of the first
two films (which even for sci-fi I found too fantastic to take really
seriously), but it all unfolds very realistically. I loved how it is
Katniss' natural fire that sparks the people to fight, and one
particular scene where she spontaneously sings a folk song by a
reservoir is really beautifully done. The ensuing scene (where late-night
saboteurs destroy a dam while singing the same song) drives it home.
Many are condemning the way the novel
has been split into two films, but there isn't one second of this 2
hour "part 1" that I would remove. If you're seeking rock'em sock'em
action with endless firefights and mindless battles then you won't
like this films as much as the first two, but if you enjoy more
intrigue and characters that react like real people instead of
caricatures, this one is far superior.
Jennifer Lawrence has made a real name
for herself over the past few years, and deservedly so. Her work in
“Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) and “American Hustle” (2013)
have proven her to be a real talent. While I loved "Mockingjay Part 1", her role isn't much of a challenge for a real thespian – in fact I found her
performance to be a bit over-the-top at times like she was trying to
wring more out of the character than it actually has to give.
Katniss' anguish over the deaths of innocents is dragged out a bit
too much, but that is really the only minor complaint I would voice.
This is a terrific movie, and I give it
an extremely high recommendation. Now I can't wait for the finale next year- I
hope it maintains this level of quality.
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