The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part One

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As most readers probably know, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay is the third hotly- anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games books, which this time sees Katniss become the (fairly unwilling) face of the rebellion against the autocratic Capitol.

It is not an exaggeration to say that many fans were extremely disappointed by the third book in the series- however, I am pleased to report that the film improves on the underwhelming final novel massivley. For once, the trend of splitting the grand finale of a big franchise into two parts actually benefits the film significantly, as it allows every previously rushed moment to be shown in just the right amount of detail. This is also helped by fantastic acting from a cast that includes Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, as well as Donald Sutherland, Josh Hutcherson, the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman and newcomer Julliane Moore. Along with wonderful cinematography, this makes the already powerful moments that allow the Hunger Games series to be as effective as it is even stronger.

Additionally, the powerful and often complex messages of the original series are continually emphasized throughout the film, which allows it to be very moving at times. Like it’s predecessor, Catching Fire, Mockingjay also has great cinematography, with the well chosen shots bringing the book to life fantasically well.

On the other hand, it does inherit the problems of it’s source material in terms of story structure. It doesn’t have much action, or even too much of a structure, with Tordov’s narrative theory barley being used- much of it is Katniss wandering around feeling depressed about Peeta and filming propos, which some viewers might find slightly dull. However, the jump from book to film means that the story can now be told from more than one person’s perspective, meaning that more can be shown and as a result more happens (compared to the book anyway).

Generally, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part One is a moving, tense and dramatic film that is probably worth a second or even a third viewing. It is rare to say this about a Young Adult Adaptation, but it is better than the book by miles.