Nutshell: A well-done attempt to turn the final book of The Hunger Games into two films, though there are choppy spots where editing could have been smoother. Lawrence jumps back into Katniss territory with ease, and so does the rest of the cast. Pour out some Twizzlers for Philip Seymour Hoffman. Seriously do it; that man was a friggin’ genius and will be missed. B+
As always, clicky for the original piece!
Movie Review – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
TwitView: Fans will rejoice! Casual viewers may find the editing patchy. Still, a worthy entry in an excellent series. B+
Seems like forever since we’ve seen Katniss, Peeta, Gayle and the gang fight against the man President Snow in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Heck, I’ve even watched Catching Fire on Netflix a time or two already. But it’s only been a year. Time flies, don’t it? But it seems like the filmmakers have taken their time and crafted a compelling film with Mockingjay Part 1. Screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong (yes, Buffy‘s Jonathan) do an excellent job breaking the novel in two, ending Part 1 with a nice cliffhanger of sorts; the Districts readying for civil war (not a spoiler if you’ve been paying any kind of attention).
If you’ve forgotten, when last we left Katniss, she was being air-lifted out of her second Hunger Games, the 75th Quarter Quell. Rebellion is on the horizon for the Districts, and megalomaniacal President Coin (Donald Sutherland, obviously enjoying his eeeee-vil) bent on her destruction. In Mockingjay Part 1, she wakes up in District 13, the District that was supposedly burned to the ground. But they’ve been waiting for a leader to rise, and Katniss looks like their dream come true. ¡Viva la Revolución! But where’s Peeta…?
Atomic Fangirl 