Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, The (DVD / Blu-ray)
Steve Barton
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Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Distributed by Lionsgate
There was a time when we covered The Hunger Games franchise as much as we would anything else, if only for its obvious debt to the fan favorite genre film Battle Royale. Yet, as the series has gone on, it has waned in popularity with horror fans. That doesn’t mean the films aren’t good, but we’ve decided to only review them instead of providing the massive coverage we once did.
In this first part of the end of the franchise, we pick up with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) directly where the last film left off. Our heroine is now being courted to become the face of the growing rebellion. This war, however violent it may be, is more of a war of words as propaganda is thrown around by the government as well as the rebellion as a means to win over the hearts and minds of the people. Guess who they eventually side with? Yep, even in movies the government sucks, but at least these evil fashion victims can get things done no matter how misguided. That’s more than we can say for our current real-life officials.
In any event, as a means to squeeze as much juice out of this franchise as possible, Lionsgate saw fit to break up the events of the final book in the series, Mockingjay, and as a result this flick, while as well made, well acted, and well executed as any of the previous entries, ends up feeling like half a film rather than its own experience. Whether or not that works for you is completely subjective, but for my money this separation feels forced and ridiculously abbreviated. That being said, once Mockingjay – Part 2 comes out, I have a strong feeling that this one will play a bit better.
In terms of special features, as expected, there’s a bevy of goodies for you fans to spend hours fawning over, including a seven-part making-of featurette entitled The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of Mockingjay – Part 1. Throw in a commentary, deleted scenes, and a touching tribute to the late Philip Seymour Hoffman; and you’ve got yourself quite a package.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is by no means a bad movie, but believe me when I tell you the fact that the powers-that-be forcibly split a story in two that was never meant to be told in two parts is painfully apparent. As is, this entry in the franchise is missing its namesake… the actual Hunger Games. Here’s to Part 2!
Special Features
- Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson
- The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of Mockingjay – Part 1
– Hope and Rebellion: Continuing the Saga
– Designing Dystopia: Visual Aesthetic
– Rebels and Warriors: The Cast
– Fusing Form and Function: Costume, Make-Up and Hair
– Fighting the System: Shooting on Location
– D13: Rebellion Tactics: Stunts and Special Effects
– Perfecting Panem: The Post-Production Process
- Straight from the Heart: A Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Songs of Rebellion: Lorde on Creating the Soundtrack
- Deleted Scenes
- Divergent: Insurgent Sneak Preview
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
