It’s safe to say that Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most electrifying presences currently gracing the silver screen.
Every film she appears in, even the less-than-stellar ones like “House at the End of the Street,” serves as a showcase for her undeniable talent and prominent ability to effortlessly command the audience’s attention. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One” is no different.
The third entry in the story of Katniss Everdeen takes place after the events of “Catching Fire,” in which District 12 is in ruins and the Capitol holds Peeta, (Josh Hutcherson) in captivity. It’s up to Katniss and a team comprised of familiar and fresh faces to save him and spark a revolution within Panem.
As mentioned before, Lawrence shines throughout the film’s two hour runtime, but some of the talented cast members appear a bit dull in comparison.
Julianne Moore, who debuts as President Coin, is solid as usual, but doesn’t really do anything special to make the audience care about her character. Newcomer Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”) also fails to stand out, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman looked bored as his role was greatly reduced from secondary antagonist to glorified background decoration.
The plot itself is also nothing special; most of the film is comprised of sharp imagery, heady political dialogue and a couple of action sequences in between.
That’s not entirely a bad thing, since it does manage to push the anticipation for “Mockingjay, Part Two” to its peak. But it makes me wonder why a two-part finale was even necessary.
Is Lionsgate seriously trying to say that it’s absolutely imperative that we spend another $12 to see two more hours of a story that could’ve been told in the time “Part One” blew on exposition? To them, sure it is, but to me it’s just a waste of our time and money.
“Mockingjay, Part One” will definitely please die-hard fans, but may be frustrating at the same time since nothing really happens until the cliffhanger ending.
It may also leave viewers with a bit of uneasiness over the impending conclusion of the series, which could be nothing but climax to settle any unresolved storylines (i.e. the underwhelming “Matrix Revolutions”).
Hopefully, that won’t be the case. But if it is, be prepared for another tour-de-force performance from Jennifer Lawrence to carry you to the end.
