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Showing posts with label MOVIE REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MOVIE REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Cindy Prascik's Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
Dearest Blog, since a freakishly icy November morning cost me the cinema last weekend, I am a week late with my review of the latest Hunger Games installment. That means just one thing: prepare for my rambling to be even less relevant than usual!
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or, you know, if you've been on the Internet at all this past week. Katniss Everdeen becomes the face of the Districts' rebellion against the Capitol, but concern for Peeta's safety is chief on her mind.
Well, dear reader(s), I'm not exactly what you'd call a Hunger Games fangirl. The movies are pretty well done, but, to me, it's a slightly-better-than-average young adult series that was fortunate to land on a shooting star at just the right moment. To its credit, the franchise seems well aware of that, and it utilizes Jennifer Lawrence's formidable talent, screen presence, and star power to their absolute fullest.
If J-Law is as astonishing as we've come to expect, that takes nothing away from a supporting cast that is, to a person, very, very good, and Mockingjay Part 1 continues the series' tradition of leaving us wanting more of Woody Harrelson's Haymitch, especially.
This third Hunger Games installment seems even more grim than the first two, which is really saying something when you take into account that the first one was about children killing one another for entertainment. Like the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I left the theatre knowing I'd never watch Mockingjay again; it's just too miserable. The movie is also...erm...let's just say "deliberately paced" (to be polite) and runs perhaps a tad too long.
None of that is to say, however, that it isn't interesting or well done; on the contrary, it is both. The story expertly sustains tension, and there are a couple disaster effects that left me holding my breath.
Most of the film is set in muted greys and blacks and neutrals, effectively conveying the hopelessness felt by the Districts in their fight against the Capitol's oppression, and the ending will definitely leave you anxious for Mockingjay Part 2, coming next Thanksgiving.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 clocks in at 123 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic material."
The Hunger Games series has yet to prove itself worthy of the hype, but as the genre goes, it's still better than most.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 gets six.
No reviews next weekend, as I'll be making my annual, much-anticipated trek to the Big Apple!
Until next time..
Saturday, November 22, 2014
MOVIE REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1
The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to
set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally
shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne
Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she
fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson,
Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin
Release Date: Nov
21, 2014
Rated PG-13 for some Disturbing Images, Intense Sequences
of Violence, Intense Sequences of
Action and Thematic Material
Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
The Hunger Games: MockingJay, Part 1 represents a lot of
issues with long running franchises.
It’s overstuffed but undercooked all the way through. There are plenty of interesting ideas thrown
at the wall but none of them are explored fully or expounded upon. Instead we get a slog of a movie which seems
to be treading water more than actually moving the story forward, making the
decision to split this finale into 2 parts even more baffling. Lawrence
delivers solid work as usual but she seems slightly bored with the proceedings
from time to time as the film moves from creating a revolutionary symbol to stalling
another hour before we get to some actual plot momentum. There are a few set pieces which are worthwhile
but mostly it’s a lot of overly serious sadness, mostly because the story type
has changed from the first 2 films. It’s
a common issue with franchises like this, the story demand a larger scope which
results in a change in the story’s DNA which isn’t always a good thing.
C+
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