“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” is now available on Blu-Ray/DVD
Once again, Hollywood has decided to stretch out a successful brand into two movies (e.g., “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the upcoming “Allegiant” films, “The Matrix.” “Back to the Future,” etc.). Katniss Everdeen must fight the tyranny of the Capitol in the glory of two parts (and higher box office returns)!
How does it hold up?
Acting
Jennifer Lawrence does a good job, once again, of conveying Katniss Everdeen. You get to see the compassion she has for those who were involved in the previous games as well as her love for Peta. Speaking of Peta, Josh Hutcherson is probably the most stand-out character in the whole film. He displays subtle “tells” that give audiences (and Katniss) a reason to believe that he is being manipulated by the Capitol. Most films would have shown some sort of brainwashing scene or some torture thrown in to tug on heartstrings. Mockingjay relies on subtly, trading the brainwashing for a progression of seeing Peta deteriorate on a holographic screen.
No longer in her natural habitat of elaborate fashions, Elizabeth Banks still manages to steal her scenes. Her style remains intact, even though she is sporting a curled-up shirt on her head. Both Philip Seymour Hoffman (who the film is dedicated to) and Julianne Moore do well as Plutarch and the President, respectively. I wonder how Philip’s death will affect the sequel, unfortunately…
Sound
James Newton Howard performed the score for the film, and it is very good. I didn’t watch it with my wife during her first viewing, so I remember thinking the music was great in the background. The sound is also well done. Nothing seems too futuristic; everything is grounded in reality. The alarms that screech through the rebel base when the Capitol is bombing are not annoying like in most films—on the contrary, they serve as a ticking time bomb for Katniss.
Cinematography
I liked the shots: there’s a variety of point-of-view “Shakycam” shots, some sweeping dolly movement, and various close-ups. There’s variety, but there really isn’t a whole lot of interesting or powerful shots. Sure, the scenes of Districts being blown up are unveiled for effect, but they are limited in scope and seem unoriginal. I think the most original scene is when Katniss must escape to the bunker below the rebel base in the stairwell. However, as I mentioned before, I think a lot of the sound design helped convey that scene. I will say that the red lighting, coupled with the sprinklers going off makes the scene tense. It isn’t like a typical bombing scene where fighters are shown. Everything in this film seems like a lot of the action happens off-screen, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Sets/Locations
I really enjoyed whenever a District got destroyed, but I hate to say that! The attention to detail in those sets looks like they could not have been CGI, and whenever a medium shot of Katniss and the gang was established, everything looked crisp and clear. There’s debris everywhere, skeletal remains, and structures of buildings now reduced to concrete bits and crumpled wire frames. It is evident that the filmmakers wanted to immerse audiences in another world that may closely resemble our own.
All in all, I look forward to the finale of the “Hunger Games” series. Hopefully it will tie up some loose ends from this film and give a fitting conclusion after four years of this series.
Read Chad’s other review’s.
Chad Alexander is a mild-mannered government contractor by day and a pretty normal sleeper by night. He has been dedicated to freelance writing for the last decade — writing scripts, short stories, and blogging in his spare time. He reads constantly, plays board games in his spare time, and enjoys a fine 20 oz of Cherry Coke whenever he’s feeling dangerous.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed by contributing writer’s are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Fredericksburg.Today.
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