Where do they spend the monstrous budget in this character-driven episode?

Rating: 5/10 (30 November 2014)

This third installment of THE HUNGER GAMES arrives as appointed, although the money- grubbing maneuver to divide the final book into two movies can automatically repel those who are not in the fan-base, and feel disgusted by its rapacious appetite. Actually it is where I belong, unfortunately, Moore is the new addition in the cast, as President Coin, leadership usually is not in her wheelhouse, remember CHILDREN OF MEN (2006, 9/10)? Plus my perfectionist side urges me to continue since I have watched the first two THE HUNGER GAMES (2012, 7/10) and THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013, 6/10), for better or worse, I will definitely watch the final chapter next year to wrap it up, sorry to fall into the machination of capitalistic greed. However, I will keep a clear mind to next year's INSURGENT (2015) and MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS (2015).
One thing I do appreciate from this film is its subtle inclination to obscure the absolute dichotomy between the capital and the rebel and puts Katiness (Lawrence) into a moral dilemma, her unassuming personality and indomitable bravery enables the heroism which can motivate the suppressed hoi polloi, but here she is so easily being demoted as a propaganda weapon to wage a war against the capital, which for herself, she is not quite sure too. What's the difference will be if the rebel finally wins? The sacrifice will be grave, and no one can assure the new government will not follow the same old road to ruin. The story actually has a clearer mind towards the political game, but eventually the author and the filmmakers would all pander to what readers or audience want to read or watch: the final combat with barrages of visual spectacles and the corny love stories in the battlefield, so much for YA demography.
Due to the fact that Part 1 only covers the preliminary measurement of the endgame and lacks of substantially tantalizing action pieces, apart from using her arrow shot down two bombers, Katiness is barely in the move, instead, she broaches a more dramatic mental reconstruction in the movie, Jennifer Lawrence noticeably has more close-ups on her rational struggle and personal revelation, she needs to fight her own conscience to be the war instigator, even it is under the name of righteousness, and finds her own place of being "the one" instead of a replaceable pawn in the plot. It is her powerful acting (plus a mediocre singing) makes up for the discouraging inertness, still, it is not enough, especially for such a heavily budgeted tent-pole, the film never shows where do they use the massive money?
Peeta (Hutcherson), although retreats to a talking head most of the time, Hutcherson in fact eventuates in a more admirable performance than rest of the group, especially he is the key variable in the final stage. Moore, with a fruitful awards season beckons, in here, what she pulls off is President Coin's affable persona, her air as a true altruistic leader, her gentle but affirmative deliverance is formulaic yet, under such circumstances, is affecting. As a Moore devotee who have never read Collins' novel, my wishful thinking is that there is a dramatic twist here to explode in the culmination concerning Coin's patina of inscrutability and caginess.
Since Katiness is the sole center of the narrative, the bulky supporting crew is relegated to bells and whistles, it will be a shameful waste for Dormer's killing coiffure if her Cressida remains so characterless in the Part 2. Finally, it will be remiss not to mention the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, although it is really a nuisance to end his luminous career with such effortless offerings, he will be warmly remembered.