The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

"If we burn, you burn with us"

It's the most magical time of the year... again. No I'm not talking about Christmas yet. It's November; which means a brand new installment in 'The Hunger Games' trilogy! Actually, the book series is a trilogy, the film series however somehow miraculously managed to become a quadrilogy. Along with the hype the series has gained and the fact that I managed to actually read them all, I was wholeheartedly, completely, 100%, without a shadow of doubt... nervous about the release of this film. Did seeing this movie continue to nurture my love for the dystopian series, or did Mockingjay Part 1 diminish the fire in my heart?

'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' is the third installment of the story centred around Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence); the girl on fire. So far we have seen Katniss survive the 74th and 75th Hunger Games and now it's time to see what happens as a result of her defiance against the Capitol. Katniss has been rescued and brought to District 13, previously thought to have been destroyed in a past rebellion against the Capitol. She must now live alongside them with the surviving inhabitants of the newly destroyed District 12. Due to the capture of Peeta (Josh Hutchinson), Katniss is reluctant to trust anyone, particularly District 13's President, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). After refusing to play the Mockingjay, President Coin's idea of the symbol of the rebellion, Katniss is sent to see the burning remains of her former district. This trip, along with TV broadcast showing Peeta alive and being used as the Capitol's symbol against the rebellion, convinces Katniss that she must become the beacon of hope for the rebelling districts of Panem in the fight against the Capitol.

Having read and loved the books and the previous two movies, I was very worried about how this book would translate onto the big screen. The fact that this book has been split into two films had me convinced that I was going into a car crash of a movie. However, the first half of this story held its own and I found my love for the series growing once again. In all honesty, I think the story could have been kept as one long film rather than this drawn out hell I am experiencing waiting for the conclusion (even though I do already know mostly what is going to happen) but I also understand that this golden chicken of a series simply can't stop laying these golden eggs quite yet. The bigger budget means even better production than we saw in 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' with some truly breath-taking scenes of the rebellion. These scenes, along with the quality fitting score you would expect from this brilliant series, make this installment as epic as the previous two. The acting gets better and better with each film. Jennifer Lawrence has built upon the character, even though Katniss has mostly fallen to pieces since the events of the previous film. Her delivery of the line, "If we burn, you burn with us" has to be a personal highlight. Another highlight is the brief moment we learn that J-Law can also sing and quite well too. Hats off to all the equally great actors, in particular Julianne Moore who plays the part of President Coin better than I could have imagined. Also Elizabeth Banks gives another outstanding performance as my favourite Hunger Games character Effy Trinket. So all in all another great installment in this phenomenal series but it does lose a few points for the pace and plot, largely due to being torn in two for monetary gain.

 

8.5/10 for 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' placing it number 7 of 64 on my 2014 league table. Great film but didn't quite get to me as much as 'Catching Fire'.