The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1
In all honesty, I still think Gary Ross’s 2012 adaptation of the first of Suzanne Collins’s books in this young adult series is probably the strongest film on the whole. To a lot of people, that might be like saying Chris Columbus’s “Harry Potter” films are the best of that mammoth franchise’s eight-film run. I wouldn’t be prepared to go that far, but the truth is, Ross’s storytelling in that first film is crisp and more emotional than what we saw in last year’s “Catching Fire.” I will admit, though, that “Mockingjay- Part 1” comes close to matching it in that area.
Mockingjay is the only book in Collins’s series I am familiar with, as my girlfriend and I listened to the audio book of it on our trip up to Ohio this past summer. Watching the film, with a smart, politically-minded screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig, unfold, I was impressed by how deftly they moved between action movie conventions and emotional beats, as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, who keeps getting better and better in the role) finds her world turned upside down after her defiant stand in the Quarter Quell. She was rescued from the game arena by Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), and Plutarch (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), who have taken her to District 13, and laid some hard truth on her: after she shot her arrow at the arena canopy, President Snow not only destroyed District 12, her home, but also took Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Joanna (Jena Malone), among others, hostage. Civil war has returned to Panem, and Katniss is thrust into the middle of it as the symbol of the rebellion.
For all the obvious political symbolism and sharp social commentary in the first two “Hunger Games” movies, those aspects are even more aggressively explored here. The biggest weapon the rebellion, led by District 13’s President Coin (Julianne Moore), has is Katniss, and they intend to utilize her, with her mockingjay pin having become the symbol of the rebellion in their struggle against the ruthless Capitol. The way they plan on doing this is through a series of propaganda films (known as propos) featuring Katniss. At first, they intend to have her act out heroic messages against what is a futuristic green screen (resulting in some hysterical “bad acting” from Lawrence), but as Haymitch and Gale point out, the moments when Katniss has inspired people most came organically from her. That means some dangerous field pieces, with a camera crew, led by director Cressida (Natalie Dormer, from “Game of Thrones”), but the adrenaline, and emotions, of the moment do the trick, and Katniss truly becomes the “girl on fire,” the symbol the rebellion needs. These are some of the best moments of the film, and Lawrence is tremendous at playing them right up to the point where they come close to unbelievability. I have no doubt she has many more Oscar nominations ahead of her, as well as a few wins, but I don’t know if any role will ever challenge Jennifer Lawrence in quite the same way this one does. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime role, and she plays it exactly right.
The film’s big idea is how propaganda, images, and messages are important tools in conflict, and if you can’t see how that is at play in our own modern politics, me pointing it out isn’t going to help you. Rather than force it to the surface, though, Strong and Craig’s screenplay lets it flow organically out of this chapter of Collins’s story, and the result is a blockbuster with an intelligent, gripping story to go with the visual thrills that come courtesy of Francis Lawrence’s assertive storytelling. Even as a fan of “Constantine” and “I Am Legend,” I don’t know that I would have considered Lawrence an ideal choice to follow in the footsteps of Gary Ross, who co-wrote and directed the first “Hunger Games” film, but the move has paid off handsomely for Lionsgate, who have s filmmaker well versed in blockbuster productions but also values substance to go along with the style he brings as a director. In “Mockingjay, Part 1,” he outdoes his work in not just those two films but also in “Catching Fire.” Taking the action out of the Hunger Games arena liberates the franchise, and results in some familiar story beats (especially with regards to the tension in the Katniss/Gale/Peeta triangle) gaining new life as characters are put to the test in different ways. Francis Lawrence has a way of getting strong, intriguing work out of his actors, and in this film, Liam Hemsworth as Gale and Sam Claflin (as Finnick) are the big beneficiaries of that touch. In the end, though, the franchise (and story) rises and falls with Jennifer Lawrence and Katniss, and actor and character are so in sync that it’s painful to think that only one film remains in this smart, strong franchise. I can’t wait to see how it ends, though, ’cause given where this movie leaves off, it’s going to be a doozy.
