The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

The Hunger Games series hits its nadir with this padded-out and mostly superfluous entry, as the movie, which details the growing rebellion led by Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, spends the majority of its often interminable running time spinning its wheels and laying the groundwork for the next (and mercifully final) installment. Filmmaker Francis Lawrence, in attempting to expand Suzanne Collins’ novel into two features, employs an aggressively lethargic pace that’s compounded by a tedious, uneventful opening hour, with the movie’s first half comprised almost entirely of sequences in which characters plot their next move. (The lackluster atmosphere is compounded by Lawrence’s less-than-vibrant visual sensibilities, with the film, for the most part, unfolding in oppressive darkness.) It becomes clear, then, that the entirety of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1‘s opening two-thirds could’ve easily been condensed into a five minute prologue, with the movie unable to overcome its pervasively worthless feel until well past the one-hour mark – after which point filmmaker Lawrence offers up an admittedly exciting stretch detailing the rebels’ SEAL Team Six-like efforts to free several prisoners. It’s an exciting, dynamic interlude that stands in stark contrast to the dreary nature of everything preceding it, with the movie subsequently building to an expected cliffhanger that seems to promise a much more entertaining final installment. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1‘s ultimate failure is especially disappointing given the stellar work by star Lawrence, as the actress manages to infuse her character (and, by association, the entire proceedings) with an emotional core that’s otherwise entirely absent – with the end result a shameless cash-grab designed to extend the life of this profitable series.

*1/2 out of ****