Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is now in District 13, once thought to have been destroyed. Here, she finds herself as the face of a rebellion against the totalitarian government of Panem in the Capitol, while her friend/lover/something Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has fallen into the dictatorshp's hands.
Mockingjay is by far my least favourite book in the trilogy, and a large part of this is due to Katniss' narration. Thankfully, once again the story's strengths are allowed to rise to the forefront without being bogged in angsty internal monologue. With that said, the problems with Katniss' character in the novel still occasionally come through in the dialogue, and though she's considerably more likable in the film, her skewed priorities make it hard to get behind her as the protagonist. The film uses its medium shift to often take the focus off of Katniss, but the narrative still clearly revolves around her, even though at times it seems that any other character would be a more interesting focal point.
As with the last two movies, several scenes are added in where Katniss isn't present. There's some behind-the-scenes discussion in both District 13 and the Capitol. These scenes add insight to the setting and the narrative, giving us information that enriches the story beyond what's shown in the source material. It feels as if The Hunger Games was always meant for the big screen, as the story is adapted and translated marvelously, featuring more details and a more potent exploration of its themes than the source material.
Of course, part of this is due to Francis Lawrence's powerful direction. As with Catching Fire, Lawrence's framing is impeccable, with the film's faded pallet being complemented by a huge number of excellent shots. In addition, Lawrence's action scenes are better than ever. The brutality of the revolution is captured just as well as in Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer, and his direction communicates both the determination of the rebels, who surge forward even as many in their number fall, and the inspirational effect of Katniss herself. Masses of background characters throughout the film take on Katniss' symbols, and the impact is incredible. Notably, Lawrence has an infatuation with juxtaposition. The technique is used almost repetitively throughout the film, though its prevalence is more than made up for by its effectiveness. Indeed, these moments of juxtaposition are some of the film's most powerful scenes.
Mockingjay wanted to be a novel about war, but Mockingjay Part 1 is clearly a film about inspiration and revolution. That was always the most interesting part of the book, but it's brought to the forefront on the big screen. The series' themes are all in play, and the influence of the media continues to be a central element of the story. Mockingjay Part 1 has a lot to say... and so it's a shame that its many ideas don't get closure. Inspired by the success of the finales of Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga, Lionsgate made the decision to split Mockingjay into two parts, and the film is worse off for it. The first part is just over two hours long, and fails to justify itself as a movie in its own right. This is less a great film and more half of one, and as such it can't be a great film by itself.
It's really a shame, because this film is overflowing with great ideas and straining to get every drop of brilliance out of its source material. Mockingjay Part 1 is clearly a passion project, which makes it disappointing that the film has been subject to the studio's greed. There is no reason for Mockingjay to be two movies, and the first half suffers from the lack of the second half - though, considering the second half is where many of the bigger mistakes lie, perhaps in some ways Part 1 also benefits from the divide as well. In any case, what we're left with is ultimately more than sufficient.
7/10
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