If We Burn, You Burn With Us

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2014)

Coming off one of the greatest sequels ever made it was going to be hard to wow us as much as Catching Fire did. With that being said Mockingjay Part 1 succeeds in a lot of areas. Sure many people will get bored or try and compare it to the previous installments. But the key here is that this film is very different. Don't expect to see any Hunger Games, because it's all about the rebellion. And there is quite a build up involved with part 1. I thought even though it's not entirely necessary to split the movie in two parts, I can see where it may pay off once we see the final film.
Jennifer Lawrence is golden once again as Panem's symbol of hope and rebellion. She always brings her A game but she is given even more to do in this film. Her ability to showcase every type of emotion and make it feel real to us is incredible. I will say I could have cared less for either Peeta or Gale in the first two films, but Lawrence finally sold me on the relationship between those characters. Several times throughout the film I found my heart pounding and on the edge of my seat. Much credit goes to Francis Lawrence for solidifying this franchise as one of the most intense in Hollywood.
Much of what makes this franchise so great is the cast. And everyone gives a great performance. Donald Sutherland gives another chilling performance. While Harrelson, Tucci, Hoffman, Banks, and even newcomers Moore and Ali are great. All of them have their fair share of memorable scenes and that will only get better in the next film.
I didn't find some of the propaganda bits to work as well as they should have. With that being said, when they nail it they nail it. Back at district 8 was one of the most emotional scenes of the film, and every aspect of scene was perfect. Even Liam Hemsworth was great. I found it hard to pick apart things about the film I didn't like. It's a slow burn for sure, but like I said there are some incredible scenes in Mockingjay. I really do think when we see the final product it will all go better as one.
The ending was meticulously directed. Peeta's rescue scene was among some of the most intense filmmaking I have seen all year. It even reminded me a little bit of dare I say Zero Dark Thirty in that I honestly felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and hitting the person in front of me. It's hard to do that in a film. I actually had goosebumps 3 different times. I'm not even a die hard Hunger Games fan either. I can just appreciate great filmmaking. Again, I understand people's complaints right now, I just think it will pay off next November. I will say I hope to see much more of Natalie Dormer and Jena Malone in part 2. We didn't get to see much of Malone and Dormer was one of the best parts of part 1. Although it's relatively action-less, the character drama was enough to win me over and be just as excited for next year when this epic trilogy wraps up.
+Lawrence shows her chops once again
+Supporting cast stands out
+Francis Lawrence incredible directing
+Especially in the last 20 minutes
+Goosebumps throughout
+Get's me more excited for the (hopefully) battle filled finale
-Slow moving at times
-Some propaganda bits underwhelming
8.7/10