tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post1664642829678685519..comments2024-03-28T10:18:52.493-04:00Comments on Doux Reviews: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1Billie Douxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-27871386318832713752014-12-23T10:50:18.824-05:002014-12-23T10:50:18.824-05:00I agree with Annie and Jess that the split didn...I agree with Annie and Jess that the split didn't bother me. I actually haven't read the books, and while it obviously isn't ideal to have to wait a year to find out how it ends, I think it's far preferable to rushing things so there's little character development. I was afraid this would be all prep and no action, but I felt it was well paced with wonderful action scenes but also quieter scenes where you can really see the characters. <br /><br />I especially liked Katniss's conversation with Finnick in the bunker where Finnick points out Katniss's love for Peeta but acknowledges the complexity of her feeling saying he didn't know in what way she loved him. So often movies and TV shows rush to have characters be thoroughly in love with each other so I think it's nice that they're showing restraint so it's not "Hunger Games: Choosing a Boyfriend." I assume that scene was in the book so most of the credit goes to the author, but kudos to the director for realizing these character developing scenes are important unlike some other movies made from books (*cough* Harry Potter).Mariannahttp://www.mariannahorn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-84617841709501101622014-11-30T16:44:33.237-05:002014-11-30T16:44:33.237-05:00Got to see this one this weekend, and I agree with...Got to see this one this weekend, and I agree with Annie_A. I like the focus on the psychological fallout and the darkening tone of the final book, and I think many of the things explored here would have been given short shrift if it was all one movie. Of course, I pretty much felt the same way about Part One of <i>The Deathly Hallows</i>, so I'm not too surprised I had a similar reaction here. :)<br /><br />[Comments on specific points in this movie to follow.] I wanted that deeper exploration of Katniss's PTSD --- I loved the way she just collapsed to the stairs during the retreat to the bomb shelter --- and the propaganda war. (In some respects, I almost like that part of <i>Mockingjay</i> better than the second half, which falls into a more familiar pattern.) I also don't think anything they added felt like padding. It just deepened the world and allowed us to see what was happening outside Katniss's point of view, and I appreciated that. That brief shot of Snow's granddaughter undoing her Katniss braid during his address was a lovely touch, and I really enjoyed the scene between Plutarch and Effie. I particularly loved the two sequences showing the acts of rebellion in Districts 7 and 5 (?). The attack on the dam set to the Hanging Tree song was incredibly powerful. The way the non-Capital citizens threw themselves at the Peacekeepers for an <i>en masse</i> suicide attack, said so, so much about the stakes for the rebelling districts, and actually made me tear up a bit. Fantastic addition.<br /><br />Having said all that, I definitely wondered how the whole must play for someone that hasn't read the books. I can see that ending feeling very jarring and frustrating. But at least they didn't end it on the fade to black after the attack on Katniss! I was kind of worried that's what they were going to do for a second there.Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-83393491150627640502014-11-25T12:48:33.956-05:002014-11-25T12:48:33.956-05:00I think I'm in the minority, but I absolutely ...I think I'm in the minority, but I absolutely loved Mockingjay and I'm not bothered by the split. (Aside from the fact that we have to wait a year to see part 2!)<br /><br />If this story had been told in a single movie, most of the "setup" done here would have been rushed; context explanations would have been only superficial, if there at all. I found that by having ample time to set things up for the final act, we got a good portrayal of the "second degree" that made all 3 books such a great read: the oppression and control of the Capitol, the media manipulation in a war context, Katniss' ambivalence, etc. I found this subtext to be largely missing or superficial in the first 2 movies. <br /><br />The first half of the last book was kind of a drag; I think the filmmakers did a great job with the movie. I was expecting a complete snooze-fest and was pleasantly suprised with the additions.<br /><br />Part 2 will be wall-to-wall action, since they did all the setup they needed in part 1; and when we'll be able to watch both parts as a whole, it will be the best movie of the franchise, I'm sure.Annie_Anoreply@blogger.com