Unnecessary but interesting

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2014)

Thanks to Harry Potter books are constantly being split on film. This doesn't usually work and one part of the double bill or trilogy is always just a 2 hour (3 hour in the case of The Hobbit) build up. Katniss, after destroying the games, becomes a symbol for the rebellion and tries to save Peeta for the Capitol. This is the weakest of the franchise, but I enjoyed it more than others have. Mockingjay Part 1's main problem is the lack of action, but it manages to get away with it just about. Thankfully it's not another Breaking Dawn Part 1. It can feel like something waiting for happen for 2 hours, but it's a pleasant wait. The acting is excellent, and Jennifer Lawrence is a great heroine aside from an overdone nightmare waking up scene. Donald Sutherland doesn't appear that much, but he's wonderful as President Snow. It's still got politics and emotional depth which is what makes the franchise maybe the best YA adaptation series of them all, and the depth combined with the acting places it far above the Harry Potter films.
It certainly comes up short on the action front, but there's enough going on to hold the attention. The trouble is that the film is a blatant cash grab and you can't help but yearn for a 3 hour finale instead of 2 films. Do we really need another hugely anticipated release in 2015? This is well made in many ways, but the endlessly drained colour palette occasionally evokes memories of Twilight and the last few Harry Potter films in a bad way. I still enjoyed this movie and it has plenty of drama which makes it very watchable, but there's too much filming political videos and not enough actually happening. They have a good twist and jump scare at the end though. A decent but disappointing sequel which I enjoyed, but without the acting this would be less bearable. I might go as far as to call this slightly underrated, but the way this is just unnecessary is fairly off putting. Still, it makes us even more eager for the final chapter.
7/10