Before going on to explain why I think “The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part I” is a case of too little butter spread over too much (dry) bread, a note of thanks to the local radio station for giving us free tickets to catch the film in its delayed opening weekend in India! The current installment of the Hunger Games’ ‘forced’ quadrilogy is darker still than the excellent ‘Catching Fire’ but proves to be too long to sustain interest in everything that’s going on on-screen. I found out after our viewing that my co-viewer and post-movie-plot-debater found that she was unable to sustain her focus for too long as well.
Working off a script by Peter Craig and Danny Strong and directed by ‘Catching Fire’ helmer Francis Lawrence, Part I of the Mockingjay – the end novel of the Hunger Games trilogy has fallen victim to producer induced greed in dividing itself into two parts(and thankfully not more!) a la Hobbit and Harry Potter. The resulting take provides us with dark entertainment for about nearly half or a bit more of its total running time of a hundred and twenty three minutes. The cast hasn’t changed except for the welcome addition of Julianne Moore as Alma coin, more on her neat and tidy performance in about a minutes worth of reading. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in one of his last roles plays Plutarch, Elizabeth Banks, who is sublime as Effie Trinket, Woody Harrelson in a narrowed down and sober Haymitch portrayal and other usual but brilliant supports such as Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland round out the truly stellar cast that we have already been introduced to.
From my point of view of a spectator, Mockingjay reminded me more acutely than ever that the revolutionary tale started off as a description of a cruel but popular reality TV show which was supposedly played out to the death of participants but ultimately was shown to be scripted by the moneyed and those with vested interests. On a larger scale the games themselves were ones that reminded the subjugated of their subjugation. The mockingjay herself and almost everyone else in the story ironically seem to be playing out roles scripted by others for each and in turn carries out their part to generate a perceived benefit be it for themselves or the assumed benefactors. Credit has to be given where credit is due in that the striking similarity of ground zero ‘reporting’ is almost the same as what has been happening in Palestine or Iraq and the grittiness of some scenes reminds us that in spite of the stretched nature of the plot the ominous goings on haven’t really stopped. We are never too far from war and combat even though our protagonist is involved in only a single scene of direct combat.
Picking up where ‘Catching Fire’ left off, Katniss Everdeen is in the company of friends and new political benefactors or detractors as seen from the perspective of the District 13’ers or the Capitol. The mockingjay has inspired people everywhere in dystopian Panem and has concreted herself as an image representing revolution and freedom. The devious President Snow has the rest of the captors at hand and as ever threatens and delivers manipulation in multiple ways. The addition to the list of people Katniss has to deal with are District 13’s President Alma Coin and her able wordsmith Plutarch Heavensbee who have an agenda for Katniss and her ever growing popularity as a rebel. But will Katniss find herself obliged to support an agenda when her concerns lie with the tributes that have been left behind in the Capitol? Julianne Moore excels in a restrained but quietly powerful portrayal of Alma Coin, a president who means well but where does her passion for her people come from? It pains us to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman on screen in portrayals of characters that seem to have been created with him in mind. But that is only an illusion as it is the genius of the actor that makes us feel so; his portrayal of Plutarch is excellent and layered. The refreshing surprise in the movie, though it is never really a surprise that she carries off this role so easily, is Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket. In spite of her limited means she shows us what it is to truly adapt and accessorize
The core of Mockingjay remains a plot that would have been easier to view and appreciate if it had been left untouched. I can recount at least four scenes of between four to five minute lengths that do not serve to build characters or to take the plot forward. Film makers need to figure out their priorities when making movies, while it is understood that a producers interest is in the return why manipulate a movie at the cost of itself? Franchises such as Harry Potter and so called trilogies that have had their ending part split citing reasons that range from moronic to exaggerated in one broad spectrum have only made it difficult for people who appreciate good cinema justify the cost of the tickets. As compared to its predecessors Mockingjay is a distant third to the excellent ‘Catching Fire’ and its introductory first chapter in spite of it having its merits.
For want of better editing and restraint, the Mockingjay – Part 1 rates three stars on our scales with full credits to the cast for excellent performances.
