The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 falls short on the action

Jennifer Lawrence returns on screen as Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay: Part 1 in theaters on Nov. 21. Source: mockingjay.net.
Jennifer Lawrence returns on screen as Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay: Part 1 in theaters on Nov. 21. Source: mockingjay.net.

The girl on fire takes the theater by storm again on the Nov. 21 premiere. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” had a lot of worthy moments, dynamic scenes and a pinch of playfulness to ease the often long periods of tension. Like the conclusion of series such as  “Harry Potter” and “Twilight”, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy was split into two parts. Filming in two parts may allow producers to avoid losing the many details present in the books, but the film was still another Hollywood attempt to squeeze as much money as possible out of a series. Regardless, “Mockingjay – Part 1” sets a good precedent for the upcoming action that will appear in Part 2.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), rescued by the rebels of  District 13, wakes up disoriented and plagued by nightmares of the Quarter Quell, the 75th Hunger Games. Everdeen becomes the Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion, after being persuaded by Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore).

The film highlights, as per-usual, Lawrence’s strong acting. Throughout the film, she sports a puffy, teary-eyed face, no movie-magic makeup to hide her raw emotions at the loss of Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Yet, when appropriate, she also pokes a bit of fun at her character: she portrays Katniss’ terrible acting skills in a propaganda film for laughs. The acting is over-dramatic at times, leaving the movie-watchers snickering.

Jennifer Lawrence returns on screen as Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay: Part 1 in theaters on Nov. 21. Source: mockingjay.net.
Jennifer Lawrence returns on screen as Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay: Part 1 in theaters on Nov. 21. Source: mockingjay.net.

Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) makes their appearance in helping Katniss find the voice she needs to stir up the revolution against the Capitol. While the film underlines the trauma Katniss experiences from the Capitol’s manipulation, Effie and Haymitch bring some humor to balance out the tense moments. Living without the luxuries she had in the Capitol, Effie still manages to shine without her trademark wig. Haymitch’s entry into the movie brought a smile to everyone’s faces. Struggling with the prohibition laws that are enforced by Sector 13, Haymitch gives his best effort to support Katniss when she was down. There’s no way one can’t laugh at Effie’s sass and Haymitch’s biting sarcasm.

Team Gale, rejoice. In “Mockingjay – Part 1,” Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) wasn’t just sitting pretty as the main action was going on in the Hunger Games arena, like in the two preceding films. Along with Haymitch, it was great to see Gale playing a big role in comforting Katniss through the crazy times, and the movie reveals his role in the plot that was never fully explained by the book.

Another memorable part of the movie was the song “The Hanging Tree,” which Katniss sings as a powerful rallying cry to the oppressed people of the districts. It was an intense moment to add into the film and the catchy tune leaves the audience humming after the credits roll.

The last book in the Hunger Games trilogy was split into two films, which can be argued that the movie will retain all the details instead of cramming the book into one film instead. However, “Mockingjay – Part 1” lacked an engaging plot. There were parts now and then that got the audience at the edge of their seats, but as a whole, it was pretty slow paced. There was action, there were explosions, but the movie couldn’t hide the lack of content behind special effects. It really could be summed up as Katniss constantly making propaganda films, with no real allusions to how District 13 will take down the Capitol once and for all. All the hustle and talk of revolution was exciting, but the entire movie was certainly not essential to the plot.

This leaves the audience with high hopes for the “Mockingjay – Part 2” coming in 2017. The Hunger Games fans should watch “Mockingjay – Part 1” for the satisfaction of seeing Lawrence as Katniss again on screen, but Director Francis Lawrence will hopefully end the franchise on a high note with more plot-advancing action.

This story was reported by Sharon Tung and Jyotsna Natarajan.

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