Mockingjay part ! Review

[Westside Steve]

Mockingjay part 1

Lionsgate

PG 13. 123 Min

 

 

If you're familiar with my reviews of the last two films made from the Hunger Games trilogy you aren't going to find much groundbreaking report it here. As I've said I actually read 3 books and hated each one worse than the last because they got such high ratings on audible.com. I have no idea why. Still they are huge sellers and the film series came on the scene with a great deal of fanfare. Surprisingly the long and ridiculous story was boiled down to a manageable plot and executed with good directing, acting and production values. Nothing has changed.

Well almost nothing. The acting is still top notch Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman are all first rate.

Still if you recall I thought there was just enough story in each of the first two books to slap together an interesting and fast paced motion picture.

That's the case with book number 3 as well but as luck and human nature will have it the producers decided, rightly so, that they had a gold mine on their hands and decided to split book number 3 into two parts. Well I'm sure that's good for the bottom line but not so good for the viewing audience. Like adding a gallon of water to a good stew.

Book 3 unlike the first two, is an indictment of the American Way of fighting wars through the cameras and pens of public relations experts. The revolutionaries who have taken a stand against President Snow (Sutherland) and the government have thrust the reluctant Katniss (Lawrence) into the role of hero. She's the Mockingjay who they expect to be the symbol to rally the people to victory. (whether she believes it or not) She's shocked to see her love Peeta as the new spokesperson of the government asking the rebels to lay down their arms and Katniss to come to her senses. Can this be? Could he have turned? We shall see.

At any rate there is some subterfuge some propaganda and some action as the fight between the rebels and the government comes to a head.

Unfortunately it takes longer than it needs to get to the cliffhanger which will have to be enough for the viewers until next Thanksgiving.

One cliff hanger we all need to ponder is how they will address the absence of a Hoffman for the final installment. I've heard rumors of computer generated graphics... We shall see.

B-

WSS

[The Gipper]

I think the Producers said why make just a Trilogy....as was intended, when we can make a Quadrilogy.

 

What was the line about butter spread too thin?

[mohican]

I have not seen The MockingJay Uno.

 

I have read the book. Actually, I read the first, got part way into the second, and read the third.

 

Suzanne Collins third book has a lot more mature themes, and also in the Mockingjay (the book) shows both leaders having some evil. District 13 might be "the good guys" but the president of District 13 is someone you have to keep a weather eye on.

[VaporTrail]

Anyone ever see Battle Royale? It came out 15 years ago. Pretty much the Japanese version of the Hunger Games. I saw it when I heard about the Hunger Games and thought it was pretty funny and entertaining through that Japanese dry, dark humor. I read the Hunger Games trilogy and was just extremely disappointed with the third book. For the great job Suzanne Collins did setting up the feel of a post apocalyptic America, it was way too ambitious and held back by keeping the story centered on Katniss "Rambo" Everdeen.

 

[gftChris]

Saw battle royal ages ago. Fun film, though the sequel isn't up to much. It also lead to the joke - "what do they call the hunger games in france? battle royale with cheese"