Fairly average

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2015)

Hunger Games Mockingjay part 1 is the third part of the Hunger Games series (well of the movie series anyway) and is again directed by Francis Lawrence. This time around, Katniss Everdeen has to lead the revolution against the evil President Snow. Actually, before she can do that, she has to make some propaganda films to evoke the citizens interest in fighting for the greater good.
To be honest, I'm not a big Hunger Games fan. I never read the books, I never went to any fan conventions, if there were any, but I did watch the previous two movies and as most people already said, they are superior to Mockingjay in a lot of different ways. The problem this movie suffers from, is undoubtedly the "part 1" scheme that most studios tend to do nowadays. What this causes is a lack of plot and action. Normally, a good movie doesn't necessarily need a great plot to be great, it needs a great story and Mockingjay just doesn't have a great story because as it stands now, its incomplete. It's not the whole thing. And what pisses me off is when studios think movies are some kind of TV show, where every part of the franchise can be handled as some kind of TV episode. So basically, I don't have a lot to say but there are some good aspects in this entry.
First of all, the acting all around is strong. Nobody really sticks out, everyone does a good job with what they are given. However, there's one exception and that is, of course, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I don't think even the die hard fans of this series know what a loss he is and I truly hope he wont be remembered for the work he did in the Hunger Games but anyway, he is very good in the movie as is Woody Harrelson who shines with his character. These guys have a great screen presence and are just a league of their own. The rest, as I said, does a fine job.
Another strong aspect is Lawrences direction. While there are not a lot of exciting and well executed shots, there are some that stick out. The few action scenes are handled very well, as previously highlighted in Catching Fire, I just would like to see more energy with the camera. Its all very stale and cold, some movement would definitely help. I don't know where these 125 million dollars went because the movie doesn't look any better than the first one and that one had way more going on. So film-making wise, it could have been better. I hope Lawrence goes back to the way he did the 2nd one because that one had way better direction than this one. It felt a lot like a "film that then that"vibe was going on. If you have this kind of budget, you better use it to your full expense.
All in all, it's a passable movie, it's definitely not bad, just very mediocre. It feels more like a product than a real film which is sad, because I had a totally different feeling from Catching Fire. That being said, I'm sure the final chapter of this franchise will deliver what was missing here. Just stop with the cash grabs Hollywood. Movies can be more than just a way to make money. Respect film as an art form.