Underwhelming but entertaining enough

Rating: 5/10 (24 November 2014)

I like The Hunger Games series. I'm not a die-hard fan by any means (I haven't read the books, nor am I into teen fiction), but I enjoyed the first two films, especially Catching Fire, which displayed a great combination of thrills, humour and tragedy.
Mockingjay Part 1 felt like a bit of a letdown in comparison though. By all accounts there was really no need to split the third book into two parts anyway, and it's all too clear to see on screen. It's like what Deathly Hallows Part 1 was to Harry Potter, a slow plodding instalment in the franchise, made purposely to make more of a profit for the studios involved, and to apparently flesh out the characters' backstories and plight.
Someone obviously forgot to tell the writers and director this almost kills the movie dead, and reduces the whole thing to a snail's crawl.
I didn't hate the movie by any means. There's a few good intense scenes in the film to sustain one's interest until the end, and it's interesting to see how the overall story of The Hunger Games develops here, plus the cast, as with the previous entries, is a joy to watch, notably Donald Sutherland, still quietly menacing as President Snow, newbie to the series Julianne Moore as the commanding President Coin of District 13, the always watchable Woody Harrelson, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who brings some much needed warmth and humour to the film.
Among all this though, nothing much really happens in the end, aside from a few skirmishes to keep the viewer entertained now and again, and Jennifer Lawrence delivers an unusually one-note performance, compared to her other stints as Katniss. It's like she's been told to act more moody and glum than usual so we feel sorry for her, which backfires, with certain set pieces made to show her anger and rebelliousness towards the Capitol, which here somehow feels a bit too fake and staged. She does try hard though with a rather uneven script, and doesn't disgrace herself.
All the young cast acquit themselves well with the plot, especially Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson, but some people, such as Natalie Dormer, are virtually wasted. Not that it harms the movie, mind.
Overall though, compared to the colourful excitement and buzz over Catching Fire, this film feels like the brakes have been applied to the franchise, and is consequently all the more dull and soulless because of it. Hopefully Part 2 will put everything firmly back on track, because after watching this, you will feel satisfied enough, but because the inconsistent pace and mood rather distances the audience from the characters and the movie itself, it also puts a dampener over the overall hype of how it will all end in the last film.