MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART I
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| "Every rose has its ... Deceitful, hate mongering president behind it trying to kill me!" Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) looks at President Snow's (Donald Sutherland) signature flower left behind in the aftermath of an attack in a scene from THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART I. Credit: Murray Close © 2014 Lionsgate Publicity. All Rights Reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Jeffrey Wright, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Willow Shields and Sam Clafin
WRITER(S): Peter Craig and Danny Strong (screenplay) Suzanne Collins (adaptation and original novel on which the film is based)
DIRECTOR(S): Francis Lawrence
60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN TRY TO MAKE): Picking up where The Hunger Games: Catching Fire left off, Mockingjay – Part I finds heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) waking up in the safety of the long-thought overrun District 13. And once she's awake, President Coin (Julianne Moore), games designer/District 13 double agent in disguise Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) give Katniss a quick rundown of what's going on: She, along with Finnick (Sam Clafin) and BeeTee (Jeffrey Wright), were pulled from the Quarter Quell as part of a larger plan to overthrow the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the rest of those who run the Capitol. Additionally, while her mother (Paula Malcomson), sister Prim (Willow Shields) and (former?) love interest Gale (Liam Hemsworth) have all been rescued, their District 12 has been decimated and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has been captured by the Capitol and President Snow.
To save Peeta, stop the games forever and overthrow President Snow, Coin, Plutarch and Haymitch need Katniss to be their "mockingjay" as they lead a revolution ... The question, however, is whether or not Katniss is up to the task ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST?: Jennifer Lawrence fans; people who enjoyed The Hunger Games books; Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks fans; all those who like watching films with strong female leads
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: People who have not read the books; fans of non-predictable action movies; those who don't "get" the Jennifer Lawrence-is-the-greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread phenomenon; those for whom the dystopian future presented in Part I feels like too many other movies of a similar nature before it.
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? If you are already a fan of The Hunger Games, there is nothing for you to see here: You're already sold on the franchise, the characters and basically are ready to hand Lionsgate whatever you must when Mockingjay – Part II is released in 2015. If you enjoyed the first two films but are a more discerning moviegoer, however, you'll likely noticed all the flaws that resulted in the mediocre, all-too-familiar second rate action movie I is.
What's not-so-good about the picture? Besides dialogue that has not been upgraded beyond its original intended-for-young-adults dialogue, Part I is predictable (even if you haven't read the books) and features performances that are second rate at best. Save for a very Zero Dark Thirty sequence, the film overall lacks any of the emotional depth that made the first two films surprisingly impressive. This is the biggest flaw Part I has, but is far from its only one.
While the first two films introduced the character of Katniss Everdeen to the masses, Mockingjay – Part I shows that as the film series wraps up, the odds may not be as much in the favor of the audience as they once were.
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: People who have not read the books; fans of non-predictable action movies; those who don't "get" the Jennifer Lawrence-is-the-greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread phenomenon; those for whom the dystopian future presented in Part I feels like too many other movies of a similar nature before it.
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? If you are already a fan of The Hunger Games, there is nothing for you to see here: You're already sold on the franchise, the characters and basically are ready to hand Lionsgate whatever you must when Mockingjay – Part II is released in 2015. If you enjoyed the first two films but are a more discerning moviegoer, however, you'll likely noticed all the flaws that resulted in the mediocre, all-too-familiar second rate action movie I is.
What's not-so-good about the picture? Besides dialogue that has not been upgraded beyond its original intended-for-young-adults dialogue, Part I is predictable (even if you haven't read the books) and features performances that are second rate at best. Save for a very Zero Dark Thirty sequence, the film overall lacks any of the emotional depth that made the first two films surprisingly impressive. This is the biggest flaw Part I has, but is far from its only one.
While the first two films introduced the character of Katniss Everdeen to the masses, Mockingjay – Part I shows that as the film series wraps up, the odds may not be as much in the favor of the audience as they once were.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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