Mockingjay Part One Review: The revolution was propagandized

Katiniss looks surprised and sad in Mockingjay Part One

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

Mockingjay Part One

B-

A review by Frederick Cholowski

Mockingjay Part One is very frustrating. Yes the latest film in the ever growing Hunger Games franchise has the two cursed words in its title; those words being “part one.” They are the words that pretty much guarantee that I’m going to end up cursing at the screen once the final scene plays out and sadly Mocking Jay Part One doesn’t do anything to change that. Of course I reserve judgment on this film until its inevitable part two but for now Mockingjay Part One is a frustratingly incomplete film one that, despite its flashes of brilliance, doesn’t really stand on its own.

The first part of Mockingjay picks up nearly immediately after the events Catching Fire. After escaping the Quarter Quell Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is a broken woman. She’s lost Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) to the clutches of President Snow (Donald Sutherland), her district has been reduced to rubble, and she’s being forced to be the figurehead of the revolution a role in which she is really uncomfortable in. But the revolution and its leaders President Coin (Julianne Moore) and former gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman) need Katniss badly and she is pulled into a violent game of political intrigue with the future of their world relying on her victory.

Mockingjay Part One is incomplete, there is no other to put it. It is the first half of a potentially great film but it does not work as a single entity. It is all set up and no payoff. None of the story or character arcs that are started reach conclusions, even temporary or intermediate ones. The film just kind of ends right at the point where a regular film would be trucking towards its climactic showdown. There is no effort here to make a smaller story within the bigger one to help make the film stand on its own, in fact there is no resolution of anything at all. Mockingnjay Part One feels like an episode of a serial television that is sold as a standalone product, it just does not work.

This is especially frustrating because there are some legitimately very good things throughout the course of this film, first and foremost being the acting prowess of one Jennifer Lawrence. Mockingjay Part One is the Jennifer Lawrence show as her full acting power is on display (along with her wig which is so terrible it is distracting). Lawrence makes every scene she is in better and it seems as though she has grasped the full potential of the Katniss character. She is asked to display a wild range of emotions and pulls each moment off with power and realism.

The supporting cast is great as well, Francis Lawrence and crew have really got themselves a who’s who of supporting actors at this point. The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman still shines the most here despite not having as much to do as before as he really injects a fascinating energy to the film. Jeffery Wright and new addition Julianne Moore are also really good here in their limited roles, each getting their characters across well. Donald Sutherland provides a formidable foe for Katniss and the revolution and the two hunky love interests Josh Hutcheson and Liam Hemsworth are good enough to not be distracting in any way.

There is also some really interesting political satire going on in this film. The back and forth battle of propaganda is a great set up for the big battle and shows how the media can affect both sides of the war. The film is not subtle about its commentary on modern propaganda but it is used effectively and provides a solid backdrop for which the film can play around with. It provides an extra layer to proceedings and makes the film feel like it has something to say rather than just trying to be typical adult fiction fodder.

Francis Lawrence is also a really good director and it shows throughout this film. There are some really haunting and cool visuals that he presents throughout the film that set the mood and atmosphere very effectively (although he may have gone overboard on the characters climbing over rubble sequence). The film is really allowed to dwell on the horror of what is taking place and Lawrence’s filmmaking really accentuates that. This is actually a really slow and meditative film throughout most of its running time and it’s actually super effective. The film does strangely want to become Zero Dark Thirty near the end and tries to remind the audience that yes this is an action film, but that can be forgiven as it is all shot well and is effective for the most part. Overall the visual package is super slick and stunning which makes film very effective throughout most of it running time.

All those really positive things being said it is impossible to shake that Mockingjay Part One doesn’t work as a standalone entity. The film has many great and interesting moments, but in the end it is all setup and no payoff. Ultimately I’ll revisit how both this and its part two work as a whole around this time next year and hopefully by then the feeling will be much more satisfying and much less empty.