War Comes to PANEM - "If we burn, you burn with us" Katniss Everdeen

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2020)

Katniss is now in District 13 where she is finding life increasingly difficult. The Rebel leaders want her to step up as the 'face' of the Rebellion - the 'Mockingjay' that the people of Panem have seen arena, but she is not in any mental condition to agree to this wish. In addition, the Capitol have now used Peeta in Propaganda media to tell the Rebels to lay down their arms. Katniss is suffering from PTSD and is confused. She refuses to play the 'Mockingjay' but Plutarch suggests that she be shown the ruins of her old District - 12 - during which Gale recounts what happened after the events in the arena - and the thousands that died in the firebombing. She reluctantly changes her mind and has a 'Propo' Team assigned to capture media shots for propaganda use. As the Districts flare up in open rebellion, Katniss goes to District 8, where she witnesses the effect she has on the people fighting - also the ruthlessness of Snow. Katniss also worries that, if Peeta does not succeed in bringing the rebels to the table, he will be executed, so forces the Rebel President - Alma Coin - to attempt a rescue of Peeta and the other remaining Victors held in the Capitol...
Of all the Films in this series, 'Mockingjay - Part 1' is consistently the one least liked - some people were critical of a 'Cash Grab' by the studio and of splitting the final Book into two Films. Having watched these many times, I have been a little perplexed as to how some people view them. Too many got caught up in the 'Games Arena' aspect of the first two and really just wanted a nice little simple jog to the finish with lots of explosions and action. But the author deliberately moved away from the 'Games' for the finale of the series.
I am very pleased that the filmmakers DIDN'T do this. Why? Firstly, 'Mockingjay' as a SINGLE Film would have been over 4 hours long - if cut, it would have lost all of the subtle character-driven scenes that make this story so gripping. But I believe that would have been a mistake. This entire story is about WAR - loss, sacrifice, trauma, death - the price of Rebellion. It is as well that 'Mockingjay - Part 1' IS a standalone film as it is the most gloomy, melancholy and devastating film of the series. It pulls no punches. It's 'Hero' - Katniss - begins the Film suffering a nervous breakdown (no 'superhero' nonsense here) and, subsequently, goes to see what has been done to District 12. She views the rubble and the blackened corpses in horror, collapsing to her knees as Gale tells her how he tried to save as many as he could from the capitol's firebombs. She returns to tell the Rebel Leader - Alma Coin - she will be the 'Mockingjay'. The scenes in District 8, where she visits the Field Hospital, are bloody and realistic. Bodies lying in corridors, badly wounded being treated on floors with rudimentary medical supplies and the stares of people suffering from the trauma of war. It is also where she is recognised. It is a lovely scene as slowly the whole room realise she is there....it is also where Katniss begins to recognise what she is to the Rebellion - Hope - a figure that took on the Capitol - and won. The stunned look on Lawrence's face is perfect - at last she is coming to terms with her role in all of this. She may never have wanted 'any of this' but she is now so deeply part of the Rebellion she cannot go back. Unfortunately, Snow knows she is there and despatches bombers - ordering them to target the Hospital. Katniss watches as the Hospital is utterly destroyed and, in rage, she and Gale, rush to a rooftop where the two Hovercraft are hit by them as they pass on a firing on - and crash in flames. Again, there are no punches pulled - Katniss - still enraged - shouts to Snow via her 'propo' Team "If we burn, you burn with us".
Later, while out with her 'Team', she stops in a quarry and is asked to sing. The melancholy song she chooses - 'The Hanging Tree' - sums up everything she feels. As she sings the scene cuts to a desperate 'human wave' attack by the people of District 7, trying to place explosives to destroy the Capitol's hydro-dams, source of power for the Capitol. Unarmed and simply absorbing bullets with flesh, the scene is simply stunning - no childish happy endings, no bullet-proof suits - just death for ordinary people. THIS is what it means to Rebel and fight oppression - and once again, 'Mockingjay' does this unflinchingly. It's depiction of a savage war, even though aimed at young adults, is extremely well done.
Meanwhile the Capitol continues to use Peeta to send messages to the Rebels - Katniss knows it is only a matter of time before Peeta is killed. Some have said that the 'romance' between the two is not realistic - but I differ from that. Katniss did NOT love Peeta immediately but gets to love him through the dreadful series of events they are forced to go through.
With the attacks on the Dams successful and with the power out, Coin sends a Team in by Hovercraft to retrieve Peeta and the others. Gale volunteers to go. It all seems far too easy as the Team penetrates the building and gets Peeta out. However, as they return the power comes back up - but they are not engaged and are allowed to return safely. Katniss is informed of the rescue but it is plain later as to why they were allowed to escape - Peeta has been completely 'brainwashed' by the Capitol - they have focussed all of his anger on Katniss and, when he sees her, he tries immediately to kill her. Katniss is only saved by the rifle butt of Boggs, the Rebel commander. The Film ends with Katniss, hardly able to speak and in a neck-brace looking with horror through a window at Peeta - who has had to be restrained as he is going berserk.
Firstly, the performance of Jennifer Lawrence is amazing - she carries this Film on her shoulders and does a fabulous job of portraying the tumult of emotions that the central character is going through. Likewise, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta has to step up in the acting stakes as his Character is also slowly being ripped apart and he does a great job of showing this disintegration.
At this point I should mention the superbly understated music by James Newton Howard. It is a very emotional score, the centrepiece of which is 'The Hanging Tree', which begins with just Lawrence's solo voice but slowly builds to a massive crescendo during the Dams attack.
Both Mockingjay - Part 1 and Part 2' - were shot at the same time. The second and concluding Part has a slightly different feel to it - Katniss is more mature, worldly-wise and even cynical.
Mockingjay - Part 1 may not be everyone's idea of a good time - it is an extremely dark Film in a series that needed to show the consequences of what happened in the first two Films. It is this Film which actually sets it apart from the other 'Young Adult' Film series that were released - none are as dark as this. Serious themes run all through the 'Hunger Games' series but never have these been more apparent than in this Film.
In a strange example of life imitating Art, some showings of 'Mockingjay - Part 1' were cancelled in Thailand when protestors began using the Rebels 'Three finger salute' when demonstrating against its Military Government!!
'Mockingjay - Part 2' will conclude the 'Hunger Games' story - in a melancholy and bittersweet way.