latter day Joan of Arc

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2017)

As it turns out, I'm here because I won a competition for writing a review on a local site, and the first prize was a complete box-set of THE HUNGER GAMES, all four movies in a big square decorated carton container, and, oh yeah, a date with the lead actress, the one that played Katniss, uh Jen something. The date went well, but that is not what I am here to brag (er, talk) about.* THE HUNGER GAMES weren't on my to-do list, I consider lots of movies featuring pretty actresses, but the premise didn't exactly appeal. Of course, the opportunity to win it for free for very little effort I took on "like that" and to cut a long story short, I have been watching, first the kick-off, then the sequel, and now, here is the... tired re- hashing?
People, you have to get off this big franchise thing. It's that old ROCKY X joke, the fans would go watch Rocky until he's in a wheelchair, with dentures and failing eyesight. Go on to something new!
This was basically my line of thought as I was watching the first half. This Joan of Arc kinda story-line. Then came that air raid on the hospital, and suddenly, I am with the die-hard fans of the series. That sequence I rate full marks. Doesn't change the fact that the movie plods on through about 45% of its running time as one big yawn, not so much for nothing much happening, but for me NOT CARING... And this movie played to eager fans... swarms of them... there must have been disappointment caused by the slow progress. You lose fans that way. They walk out of theaters disillusioned, and spread the word of their disappointment, or switch off television sets. Get the picture?
Like I said, it does get better. But first impressions count, and the movie starts off dismal and continues that way for far too long. Of course the fans expected outdoor competition, and got claustrophobic bunkers.
Willow Shields, the young actress playing Prim, seemed to hold so much promise in the original. But, no, big letdown performance from her. It's like that stuck-with-the-cast curse of TV, the first time round they might fit in perfectly, next season they're just blah!
Treading on many toes now, but Philip Seymour Hoffman, I fail to see anything standout in his final role. Including CATCHING FIRE.
Liam Hemsworth has considerable leading man charm, that other guy, Josh whatever, can go home! The Mockingjay logo is the real star of the entire movie, especially after sitting through ten minutes (or more?) of end credits.
The uglification of the characters (and their hick names, yee-ikes, the ugliest names, Haymitch Abernathy sounds like a hillbilly goat farmer and Plutarch Heavensbee... oh good grief...) Okay, what I was going to say, on the DVD, the cast appears, and everybody looks a hundred times better than they do in the movie. Basically, this is a movie with loads of unattractive, weird and dorky characters. Except J-Law and Liam, of course.
All in all, there's another reviewer here who's tag-line reads "two hour movie could have been edited into 20 minutes" or something like that. I agree. There is a pervasive tedious feeling to this movie.
Must have cost the franchise a lot of fans. Burst bubbles...
*something in this review is just a lie, but I'm keeping my trap shut. You figure out what it is.