A Satisfying Addition To A Daring Blockbuster Franchise

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2015)

When the Lorde curated Mockingjay: Part 1 soundtrack came out a week prior to the film's premiere, it sent a wave of forewarning to the world. Listening to the album on Spotify with pulsating glee, I was surprised to find that amidst the various rappers, teen pop queens, and R&B crooners, the soundtrack exploded with the aura of rebellion and fire. So does the film.
There are no Hunger Games. There is no obvious cashgrabbing on display. Mockingjay has textures not seen in the previous films; it's more in sync with its political undertones and the thrills are no longer slightly fantastical. Like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Mockingjay Part 1 is a setup for what's to come. What's coming, it seems, is a finale more exciting and more finger-lickingly satisfying than one could ever believe. But Part 1 is hardly just a buffer.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) began simply as a sister to the rescue. But by this film, she's become a warrior, even if she isn't as can't-stop-won't-stop as Black Widow or Lara Croft. At the end of Catching Fire, we found that underneath all the sparkles of the most recent Hunger Games, the workings of a rebellion against the Capitol were coming to light; Katniss would become its symbol.
In Mockingjay, she's shaken, rattled and rolled. She's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and her beloved Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has been claimed by the Capitol. Her home district, 12, was bombed, with only 45 survivors; both Katniss and the remaining fighters find themselves in District 13, which has been bound underground and is now being lead by the steely President Coin (Julianne Moore). Coin, along with enigmatic gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), are leading a massive uprising. Katniss will be the face, showing the other districts that turning the other cheek would be catastrophic.
Mockingjay doesn't need much of a setup — it moves along like a train off the rails. It doesn't have the slow development of its predecessors, having an everything-is-at-stake attitude that doesn't have time to take prisoners; it's more risky and painstaking than ever before. It's the best of the films, and certainly the smartest. It doesn't feel like a part of a billion-dollar franchise. It's a politically minded thriller that takes you by the throat and demands your attention.
Some have complained that there is a severe lack of action. Other have noticed that most of the characters are limited to the claustrophobic walls of District 13. But these are all things that make Mockingjay even better. Without so many brutal fights and faux exotic locales, we are giving a chance to dig deeper into Katniss' psyche, and Lawrence's stunning performance allows us to be compelled. District 13 serves as a reminder of how vulnerable the rest of the districts are to the powerful Capitol; even President Coin, with her monotone delivery and calm figure, seems unsure of what's to come.
Mockingjay: Part 1 is unpredictable, unshakeable, and teary. It's a work of fiction, but it somehow feels intimate, close to home. 1984 has always been scary, but there's an underlying understanding that our government would never become so totalitarian. But as we give up our privacy for protection these days, would the rosy evil of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) ever take over? Maybe not, but the film is confident enough to make us believe it. Part 2 may be a year away, but Part 1's heavy, dramatic attitude leaves an impression that has a rippling effect.