There is just enough quality and tension to keep this 'Part 1' afloat.

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2014)

Having obliterated the farcical games in a crescendo of glorious action, and being plucked to safety by rebels at the conclusion of Catching Fire, reluctant heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) now finds herself in District 13, a district previously thought destroyed. Determined to maintain the momentum of the rebel uprising, District 13 President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) & former game-maker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) seek to make Katniss the symbol of the revolution or risk letting the unrest fizzle out completely. It is only when Katniss witnesses the Capitol's brutal destruction of her own District 12, that she realises where her anger should rightly be directed, and agrees to become the Mockingjay that Panem so deserves.
President Snow (Donald Sutherland), desperate to regain control, will go to any lengths to unhinge the Mockingjay's following and reestablish his supremacy. Snow continues his psychological games with Katniss, using Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) as his pawn to condemn the violence of the uprisings and plead for a ceasefire, making him increasingly unpopular among the districts. Snow then sentences anyone associated with the Mockingjay to death, putting Katniss in a cruel predicament.
Stellar performances by a heftily talented supporting cast certainly add needed value. It is intriguing to see how each character deals with their new circumstances from Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) reveling in his tech, to Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) suffering through prohibition and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) drowning in the life sucking grey of District 13, longing only for her vibrant wigs. Once again though, it is Lawrence's performance that warrants the most praise. Particularly powerful are the moments of sheer terror where the young lead pulls you so far in to Katniss' heart-wrenching emotion, that the pulsating dread within her becomes almost tangible.
The visuals are impressive, with the harsh, cold, military environment of District 13 juxtaposed well against the natural green splendor, which we catch mere glimpses of in this installment. Although seeing more of the outside world would likely lift the plot considerably, the feeling of entrapment that is brought about by the walls of District 13, and the rubble of obliterated districts 8 and 12, draw you further in to Katniss' desperate plight.
Suspenseful, intelligent, and with a lot to say politically, the series delves into a new genre with this instalment; the covert wars aspect allowing the audience to witness the mechanics of a revolution. The vital role propaganda plays in any conflict is explored when Katniss joins a group of defectors turned film crew, assigned the duty of capturing her most inspiring moments for broadcast across the districts. One noteworthy highlight is an incredibly moving speech from Finnick (Sam Claflin), which gives some gruesome insight into President Snow's vile secrets and what makes him tick.
There is just enough quality and tension in the nuanced, character driven plot to keep this film afloat, however, where devoted Hunger Games fans will likely be thoroughly satisfied, others may be left feeling somewhat underwhelmed. The film unfortunately falls into the seemingly unavoidable 'Part 1' trap; over promising but under delivering, in a routine attempt to beef up the final instalment with an abundance of juicy action. It is inevitable that the rebels will step out of the shadows in Part 2, and Katniss may once again be afforded the opportunity to display a level of self-sacrifice we all wish ourselves capable of replicating.