Movie Review - The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part One: Does enough to justify the split in two. Just...

When you consider 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One', it is quite remarkable that the biggest controversy is not its surprisingly graphic portrayal of the horrors afflicted upon innocent civilians during war; nor that it is most emphatically an anti-war move, made by a big Hollywood studio, from a country where there are some in power that have a vested financial interest in the continuation and profligation of armed conflict.  No, what has really got people fretting is the decision to split the final novel of the Hunger Games trilogy in two parts.  I can understand this - it is, in some cases, an annoying and unnecessary emerging trend in movie-making.  Even many die-hard Twilight fans were critical of that series' final novel being split, for no apparent reason other than to make more money.  And don't get me started on how disappointed I was in the second of 'The Hobbit' films, which seemed to pad out the running time with countless shots of characters walking from one place to another - there just didn't seem enough content to justify the split to three films.

So, straight off the bat, people are being more critical of 'Mockingjay Part One' than they might normally be, due to that fact.  I will say that, broadly, the film does just enough to justify the split.  Apart from perhaps one or two short scenes, there is little here that feel superfluous - in fact, because the film goes beyond telling the story through the perspective of heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as in the novels, it allows portrayals of moments which broaden the scope of the series, and gives the growing rebellion in Pan Em a bigger impact on the viewer.  But as this is only half of a book, not everything is tied up in terms of narrative, another cause of concern.  However, to my mind at least, the ending is no less open than that of the previous film in the series, 'Catching Fire', and also involves a clever adaptation and expansion of the source material.  And as the stakes for Pan Em, and Katniss, grow bigger, more dangerous and potentially deadly, it feels like the right place to pause before the second part; especially as this series grows ever bleaker and harrowing.

If that is the elephant in the room, so to speak, how does the film measure up in its own right?  To be fair, I would say a lot of your enjoyment of this will be based upon how invested you are in the fate of Katniss and Pan Em following the previous films, or if you have followed the novels.  This movie broadens the scope and detail of the setting, and includes a number of visually striking scenes - ranging from horrific images of the aftermath of bombing, the tranquillity an abandoned ruin overgrown by wilderness, or the destruction of a dam.  While doing this and introducing new characters such as President Coin (Julianne Moore) who intends to be the leader of this rebellion, the film succeeds in keeping the focus on Katniss.  If the first films were about her survival and efforts to escape from the games, we learn here that she is still trapped - she is only useful to Coin and the people of District 13 as 'The Mockingjay', the propaganda figurehead of the rebellion.  If she realises that she cannot escape this, or the growing conflict, her efforts turn to protecting the people she cares most about.  The underground military bunker that houses the people of District 13, with its seemingly endless central tunnel, grey and dimly lit concrete walls, makes for a suitably oppressive visual metaphor for Katniss' situation.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is torn between protecting those she cares most about, and standing up with the people of Pan Em against the injustices of the Capitol...

By this stage the established cast, led by Lawrence, are assured and comfortable in their roles.  Some of the new characters are better established than others, but justifiably so: Coin plays a significant role as the President of District 13, and the script cleverly allows her more moments of interaction with Katniss than in the book.  Another welcome addition is Boggs (Mahershala Ali), head of security at District 13 and a capable soldier.  Though a man of few words he makes for a commanding presence especialy in a tense rescue scene that expands upon the novel.  Sadly, with so many characters not all get as much time as you'd like, but overall this doesn't stop the narrative moving, which is just as well.

With so much going on there are a couple of moments that the struggles of Katniss herself almost seem a little lost - as with the novel, the 'will-they-won't-they' romance with Gale (Liam Hemsworth), doesn't do anything but give Katniss another person to fret over.  Also this film has a more deliberate pace than the previous films, and if you've read the book you'll appreciate how most of the 'action' as the story draws to an end is weighted that way.  It's possible to use this as a case against dividing the novel in two (as some reviews have done), but taking things slower works by allowing time to flesh out the brewing conflict and politics of Pan Em; as well as creating space to dwell on some of the surprisingly graphic images of the devestation wrought by conflict.  Aside from at least two repetitive shots of rubble, there doesn't feel to be the padding of the second 'Hobbit' movie.  I'm also sure that when audiences have seen Part Two, they will appreciate having the breathing space of having two parts - because as bleak as this film gets, things do get tougher for Katniss and her friends before they get better.

The film is dedicated to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who tragically died during the filming of 'Mockingjay'.

For a lot of people, the fact this is the first of two parts precludes a satisfying ending to the film, and yes things are not resolved - however the script expands on a scene that is only desribed second hand, to tense and gripping effect.  This still gives the film a sense of finale, even if it is not a conclusion.  Interestingly, the previous film 'Catching Fire' ended on something of a cliff-hanger - more-so than this film - but few had a problem with that..!  'Mockingjay Part One' is, I would agree, not the best film in the series, and neither is it an easy entry point for those who are new to the franchise.  It does push, however, push it in a new direction; and although some might miss the typical blockbuster action-finale that the Quarter Quell provided previously, this film offers some uncompromisingand thought-provoking scenes addressing the horrors of war.  This alone is one of the reasons that 'The Hunger Games' will be remembered as a vital and timely series.  If it isn‘t apparent in this film, so long as the second part follows the same uncompromising commitment to the message of source material, then next year it should be abundantly clear.