Must-See May Day #19: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

This is honestly not the review I though I would be writing for this movie. There I was thinking, 'Oh, here we go, it's a Part One movie, this is going to be barely any actual content and all filler for the second part for the sake of splitting the final book into two movies for more money'. And then, beyond my wildest expectations, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) turns around and becomes the best Hunger Games film so far. Seriously. It's exciting, it's emotional, it's raw, it doesn't pull any punches... yeah. It's just an amazing movie. How did we get here? Starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Jeffrey Wright as Beetee Latier, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman and Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

One of the strangest things I find myself admitting about this movie is that it really has all been building up to this. It sounds a little odd, but hear me out. In this film we see the rebellion taking action against the Capitol and the Districts fighting back as well. This could have come across as contrived and rushed if there wasn't a consistent build-up of the hatred towards the Capitol and the need for an uprising. And, credit where credit's due, there really was. When we see the Districts taking action in this film, it feels entirely justified, but it also just feels exhilarating to see these people take their lives into their own hands. At the same time, it doesn't feel as though it's a one-sided affair. The Capitol does push back, in some truly horrifying ways at times, and the back-and-forth between the two sides was really interesting to watch. If this is the final story in this series, it's a banger of a finale, even though the true final chapter is still to come.

Donald Sutherland as President Snow

Which is an important point to address. Did this story warrant being split into two parts? Of course, it's impossible to make the final judgement until I see Part 2, but so far? Yeah, this feels necessary. There's only one scene that I feel could have been removed or reworked to make the film a little shorter, but overall I feel as though the film ran a decent length for the events that took place. Every scene added something, be it story or emotion, and I don't think sacrificing any of these moments to fit into half the time was the right call. I don't even know what they would have cut to cram this thing into half a movie. There's always a lot of stigma when a franchise does this and, believe me, I'll get into it more when I review Breaking Dawn, but for this particular story, adapting the novel into two movies was definitely the right way to go. They would have just lost way too much otherwise.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy

The cast is once again phenomenal across the board. The only newcomer to speak of is Julianne Moore, and although she's not the strongest character, Moore plays the part well enough. There's not really much to comment on there, honestly. And, as is par for the course with these movies, I still don't find Katniss that interesting. I felt for her in certain parts, and I sympathise with her plight here, but her personality is still just so bland and boring to me. This is honestly these films' biggest weakness overall, and it's an unfortunately big one. I do think that part of it goes beyond the character itself, though. When your story is set in a dystopian future, it's difficult to make the characters relatable, since their experiences and dilemmas couldn't possibly be the same as yours. Some franchises do this well, but The Hunger Games did not, and the result of which is a pretty forgettable protagonist when compared to the world itself.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen

The rest of the cast, though? Oh hoh hoh boy, they're on their A-game here. Josh Hutcherson, for me, is probably the highlight of the entire movie. This is what I can only describe as a powerhouse of a performance. He's not in the movie for very long, at least when compared to the previous films, but when he is? Damn, he's amazing. His is probably the most layered character in the entire film, as well, and that certainly helps the performance, but a lot of the credit must go to Hutcherson. This is the best he's been in any movie I've seen him in. Wonderful stuff. The other highlight was Donald Sutherland as President Snow. He's always been an intimidating figure of authority, but in this film, he's able to drop the facade and play the evil man we've always known him to be, and it's honestly chilling. All that warmth he once pretended to have is gone, and we're left with the true Coriolanus Snow. It was powerful, and I hope we get more of it in the next instalment, or, I guess, the final part of this instalment.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) shattered all my expectations in the best possible way. This is a movie. I just hope Part 2 doesn't botch everything, because they way it's been set up, this better be one amazing finale. 9/10.

Tomorrow: it's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.