Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) by Agarcia732 — 03 Dec 2014

I personally was very put off by the idea that Mockingjay would be split into 2 parts. (Now it seems every movie has/will do that--Breaking Dawn, Deathly Hallows, Avengers: Infinity War, Allegiant, etc.) I read many reviews online, and they almost convinced me (without even watching the movie) that THG: Mockingjay--Part 1 was a pointless, boring cash-grab; a set-up movie filled with exposition and "filler"; a holdover for “THG Mockingjay--Part 2”. But if I have learned anything from watching so many recent films, it is this: don't judge a film by its posters, trailer, or reviews without seeing the movie for yourself--some films may really surprise you and are better (or worse) than you expected.

I think some of the characters didn’t get the screentime they deserved. But I truly only think that because you got to know the characters well in the books, and I think it’s kind of hard to replicate that in the movies without some kind of internal monologue. If Mockingjay was a standalone film not based on a book, I’d probably have a very difficult time relating to the characters. However, I know them all well enough to not be that disappointed by a character’s short screen time.

I can understand why some people who didn't read the books were disappointed with and failed to connect to Mockingjay--Part 1. But those who read the books should've been satisfied with the film. I think that because I read the books, I maybe could appreciate the movie better than some people (due to the fact that many of scenes in the movie might’ve seemed pointless, unnecessary, or boring to those who haven’t read the books). I personally wasn’t bored during the movie—because while nobody was fighting to the death, and there wasn’t much action—there was still good performances from the cast and some nice “political subtext”.

Because of the focus given on character-driven storylines and political allegories, I think that some viewers were distanced by the film’s approach. I personally think that instead of adapting the book as well as they did, they should’ve created some battle scenes (possibly focusing on missions from each side of the war between the districts and the capitol). Maybe they could’ve shown some battles that rebel and Capitol soldiers fought, with people such as Beetee, Haymitch, Boggs, President Snow, etc. overseeing it all. “Mockingjay Part 1 is less popular than its predecessors because it's a deliberate move away from action towards a more cerebral, darker kind of war movie.” Because the movie doesn’t rely on action scenes, and it’s still good (IMO), it's proof that THG films aren’t dumb YA novel adaptations. They can do well without deadly competitions in arenas and “silly teenage romance”.

The movie has a lot of things that probably turned off some people--no Hunger Games, no real action/fighting, less of an emphasis on the love-triangle romance, being split in two parts, etc. And being on top of “Fandango's list of most-anticipated films of 2014” probably contributed to this film’s lukewarm critical reception. When people had such enthusiasm and high expectations for the movie and they were disappointed, they probably got angry. So, besides a lack of action sequences and some characters getting little screentime, I actually thought that the movie wasn’t bad. This movie probably could’ve explored/developed certain aspects of the movie’s environment/atmosphere better than it did, but I think it’s still a bit better than the first HG film. It’s still not nearly as good as Catching Fire though. Mockingjay-Part 1 “did not do a good enough job showcasing the conflict between the characters. The third book was very somber and full of distrust. The movie…didn't really capture all that you read, where previous movies they did.” The second one can reach level of tension and excitement that this one never can.

Mockingjay-Part 2 will be released on November 20, 2015.

I have reviewed 33 other movies, including the 2014 films: Dracula Untold, The Maze Runner, The Expendables 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Giver, Sharknado 2, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men Days of Future Past, Godzilla, Blended, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Divergent, Transcendence, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, The Lego Movie, and more.

I review TV shows, such as: The Flash, Arrow (Season 3), Gotham, The Last Ship, Sleepy Hollow, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, The 100, I Wanna Marry Harry, Crisis, Gang Related, and more. I also have reviewed the mobile Android games: Minecraft Pocket Edition, Clash of Clans, and Five Night's at Freddy's.

(P.S, the quotes are from other reviews online.