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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Dec10

Title: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence (Actor), Josh Hutcherson (Actor), Francis Lawrence (Director)

Genre: Science Fiction / Distopian

Watched: December 5, 2014

Summary: Slower

I enjoyed the first film and loved the first book, but I wasn’t even able to finish Catching Fire (the novel) when I tried reading it years ago. The political mumbo jumbo really bugged me. Sure, if you’re a fan of the council scenes in The Phantom Menace or of The Matrix sequel’s Zion, you might groove to this kind of nonsense, but as a student of history I just can’t see how the A to Z of our current America could lead to this peculiar and lopsided society. And particularly not to 75 years of it, mildly unchanging. Sure, oppression is a long standing historic pattern, one of the broadest we have, but this particular type doesn’t make total sense. Or maybe it’s a matter of the stark division. You could have a vast array of rural poor, but you’d need a complex layering of mid level “collaborators” living in the district in privileged situations who helped perpetuate the system. And I don’t see how the Hunger Games themselves really keeps anyone in line, more likely it would inflame the situation.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Tsj_wTJkQ]

In any case, let’s discuss Mockingjay Part 1. Fundamentally, it was watchable, but flat and incomplete. This film suffers badly from being the first half of a single novel. The first two books/films share a common structure: districts -> selection -> prep for the games -> second half in the arena. By filming just first half of the third novel, this film is stripped of critical resolution, and ends up pure setup (or more specifically, transition). Now a year and half from now, when someone sits down to watch all four films on bluray, this won’t matter much, but it has a bunch of dramatic negative affects on the experience of watching this particular episode.

Yeah, shoot two planes with a arrows!

Not a whole lot happens. They try to to make a big deal of the “rescue” at the end, but basically we have a lot of dull scenes in District 13’s drab looking bunkers and a bunch of grim visits to destroyed or partially destroyed districts. Oooh, ah.

Faceless, voiceless, “white shirts”

The character balance is all whacked. Peeta is barely in the film, only briefly on camera. Katniss’ “handlers” (Haymitch and Effie) are minor. The awesome Cinna is gone and Stanely Tucci’s amusing Caesar toned way down. Gale has a bigger part but acts the part of frozen slab of meat. We have a couple stiff new folks like President No Personality (Julianne Moore) and Philip Seymour Hoffman phoning in a final performance. I have no wish to dump on this fine fine actor, particularly after his passing, but this is hardly an inspiring performance from a man who was usually brilliant and intense. I actually like crippled Harlem kingpin hacker Beetee (Boardwalk Empire viewers will get the joke), but he’s a function rolled into a role. I.e. being the guy who “breaks into the capitals tech” by tapping on a keyboard. Newcommer Boggs is also likable, but hardly saves the film. The camera crew is dull as crap (except the mute guy). Even Margaery Tyrell, despite being a fine actress and darn cute, can’t help the situation; although her half-hair is positively distracting. However, Ancient Jack Bauer (President Snow) is still delightfully wicked.

mockingjay-part-1-trailer-still-5-cressida

Half hair!

Those jumpsuits and minimal makeup looks aren’t flattering either, although I thought the latter moderately effective. Also I completely fail to understand how District 13 has become so techie and industrialized when cut off when the other districts are stuck in the 1920s.

I was also bothered by the heavy emphasis on “filming” and “propaganda” over actually war. Moral is an important thing in a big conflict, however, this just felt too forced. Maybe it ties into my own above mentioned dislike for the whole bogus political setup. Maybe it panders to our media loving culture. I dunno.

Not a fan of those “suicidal charge of the extras” scenes either. Sometimes those things happen, like the peaceful assault on the Dharasana Salt Works, but these scenes were cheesy as hell. Let it be said that I’m generally not big on crowd scenes in movies not involving principle actors. This “showing” current conditions scenes usually come off forced.

Jennifer Lawrence singing was kinda nice though.

Fundamentally, this film is The Hunger Games without the thing that made The Hunger Games good: i.e. The Hunger Games! In both previous films (and books) it was the arena part that was by far the best. Leadup is just leadup.

Find my review of the first Hunger Games film & book here or

For more Film reviews, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Movies

Tagged as: Francis Lawrence, Gale Hawthorne, Jennifer Lawrence, Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth, Mockingjay, Mockingjay Part 1, Peeta Mellark, The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Nov25

Title: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence (Actor), Josh Hutcherson (Actor), Francis Lawrence (Director)

Genre: Science Fiction / Distopian

Watched: November 23, 2013

Summary: Well done, much like the first

In any case, I had hopes that the film would improve on the novel’s balance, and I think it has. Typical of screen writing, the trimming was mostly on the political side, leaving more time for the exciting arena section.

Fundamentally, if you enjoyed the first film, you’ll like this one. The macro structure is extremely similar: grim period in the districts -> selection -> prep for the games -> second half in the arena. It’s rare to have such a neat structure to rinse and repeat, and the whole idea of the “Hunger Games All-Stars” (borrowing from Survivor) works nicely to do just that — and to amplify the competition.

Rising up into the arena was one of the best moments again

But there lies some of the problem. The movie spends its new character budget exclusively on the tributes that are part of Katniss’ team. The others remain close to anonymous, and so lack any personality or intensity. I guess, as the film itself says, “remember who the real enemy is.” However, this strips the combat of any personal or visceral quality. Instead, it’s more “man vs. environment.” In this case, said environment is a Hawaii engineered to kill old testament style: complete with killer baboons, blood rain, fog-o-boils, floods, and the like.

There is also the three-way triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Galen. I guess it’s fairly realistically done. Truthfully, she likes both, and in different ways — and mostly she deals with them individually. This is no Twilight, with the embarrassing have to put the other boyfriend in the sleeping bag gag. It’s just not that intense, and Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss close to the vest.

Pretty damn impressive set too! (caught on Google Maps)

Overall, a fun watch, and while not filled with giant overwrought CGI stunts like many of the movies in the trailers (47 Ronin, I’m looking at you). But like the first film, Catching Fire, shorn of some of the emotional intensity that could have made it great, has to make due with merely being good.

Some obligatory peeves and questions:

The very end felt extremely abrupt.
If President Snow obliterated district 12, where’s his coal coming from?
Katniss’ electric arrow trick? Common! Everyone knows that electricity travels at the speed of light. You can’t shoot an arrow AFTER the lightning bolt hits and then watch the electricity move down the wire.
You also can’t shoot an arrow with a fire hundreds of yards into the sky.
Katniss seems to have the quiver of every filling arrows, magically enchanted and +9 to hit. After fighting the baboons she is either out, or close to out. Next shot: full quiver.
How could the conspirator’s crazy plan depend on her shooting out the dome?
If everyone is in on it, why kill each other? (or was it mostly the environment?)
Those boils sure wash off fast.
Hearted stopped? A little CPR gets you in fighting strength in no time! (actually, I do this in my novel Untimed, so who am I to talk)

Find my review of the first Hunger Games film & book here or

For more Film reviews, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Movies

Tagged as: Catching Fire, Francis Lawrence, Hunger Games, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Katniss Everdeen

The Hunger Games – Novel & Film

Mar31

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA Distopian

Length: 388 pages, 99,000 words

Summary: Intense!

The book: I read it four years ago on the recommendation of a friend. The beginning didn’t totally wow me, but the second 2/3 certainly did.

It’s written in a tight first person present, which for this kind of thing is my favorite tense/POV combo (I use it in my novel Untimed). Collins expertly builds sympathy for the character of Catniss via her harsh circumstances, sympathetic voice, and self sacrifice. This crucial “inciting event,” the selection of Catniss’ sister as tribute, occurs at the end of the first chapter, at the 5% mark. First rate construction. Our heroine’s choice and the voyeuristic need to find out what happens in the arena drags us through the 30% of preparation and political mumbo-jumbo.

I had mixed feelings about this future world. I liked certain elements. I enjoyed the setup, the whole lottery thing with escalating danger of more copies of your name being added every year or in exchange for food. But I just didn’t buy the political scenario as a whole. America is a big place, yet this district 12 felt like a small mining town where everyone knows each other. Small towns are less than 15,000 people. I would have bought it better if Catniss’ town were one among many in a whole region that was district 12. I know it sounds minor, but I’m a stickler for these kind of things. The level of economic/technical imbalance between the capital and the provinces seemed too great. How could this one little mining town really be that important? How could a whole continent be represented by one city?

But none of that really mattered once you pop into the arena at the 40% mark. Here Collins’ set up combines with the tight visceral present voice to work some serious magic. The action of young kids fighting and killing each other in a televised Lord of the Flies smackdown just worked. It felt real. It felt intense. There is some great survival writing here and that is what — for me — this book is all about. It’s made richer by sympathetic and well painted characters and by Katniss’ need to chose between her feelings and the practical requirements of survival (which includes the interest of her family). Nothing like a helpless little sister to up the sympathy factor.

Great stuff. A book doesn’t have to succeed on every level. This is one that hits 10/10 in perhaps 3/4 areas, and that is more than enough.

I can’t say I felt the same about the sequel which languished for too long in political marshland. But being a reader of real history, I have high standards with regards to politics.

Film: The Hunger Games

Director/Stars: Jennifer Lawrence (Actor), Josh Hutcherson (Actor), Gary Ross (Director)

Watched: March 28, 2012

The film: Of course this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, particularly for book lovers. I have to say that it executed effectively and faithfully as a translation. The story is identical to the book, although reduced of course. At a meta-level I thought that the pre-arena period, although a tad too long, was actually slightly better than in the book, and the area slightly inferior.

Overall, it lacks the true visceral intensity of the novel. Not that it isn’t well done, or isn’t engaging, but I sensed a restraint or hesitation on the part of the filmmakers to commit to the full reality of a bunch of teenagers killing each other in the woods. The movie is superbly cast. Jennifer Lawrence is great and does a fine job acting to fill in the missing narrative voice. She can’t make up more than some of the distance, but she does as well as any actress could. Interior connection and emotion is a strength of the novel format. Film can’t compete.

But it does do better at grand scenes. And I thought the costumes and makeup of the funky 19th century nano-punk world very effective. Perhaps not realistic, but certainly entertaining to look at. The adult actors are all good. Donald Sutherland is boilerplate but pitch perfect as President Snow. The sometimes annoying, sometimes fun Woody Harrelson leans toward fun. Lenny Kravitz is great as Cinna. Katniss’ mom kinda sucked.

The movie feels medium budget. The effects serve, but occasionally seem a little cheesy. This is just an observation, and for the most part, not a detraction. An exception involved Catniss’ two flaming outfits. Maybe it’s just the concept brought to life, but they fell pretty flat. The director does employ an interesting overall stylistic approach. By combining minimalist scoring, a sort of Appalachian feel (underscored literally by the soundtrack), and loose handheld shots, the film comes across as “underproduced” or “not very Hollywood.” This was an effective stylistic choice. He manages to squeeze a bit of genuine emotion out of us at the appropriate moments, like the death of Rue.

A couple nitpicks: The secondary tributes (basically everyone but Catniss, Rue, and Peeta) felt indistinct and underdeveloped. No one got very dirty. Come on, if you are living for a couple of days in the woods fighting for your life, you get really grimy and smelly. Hell, camping as a kid we looked downright gross without any homicidal incidents. Even as she’s dying, Rue’s cute little fro looked all perfect. The film felt to me like an 8/10, but if it had fully embraced the dark and nasty side, it might have been a 10.

For more book and film reviews, click here.

Or read about my own historical fantasy novel here.