Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)

“Fire is catching. If you burn, you burn with us!”

            Mockingjay sees the world of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) completely torn apart. She was part a rebellion she did not even know was happening and even became its face. She has been brought to the world of District 13, the very district that had risen up against the Capital 75 years before and created the Hunger Games. The president of District 13 Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and former Games master Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) want Katniss to be the face of the rebellion because she is fierce, loyal, has a strong will, and determination. Coin, Plutarch, and even people Katniss is close to push her to be the Mockingjay and lead the rebellion. They make her go to District 12 to see how is was destroyed and how so many people were killed. They even bring her to District 8 to visit the wounded to give them strength and a reason to keep fighting. It seems no matter what move Katniss makes though President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is right behind her with a counterattack.
            All Katniss wants is to bring Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) back. When they were taken away after the Quarter Quell Peeta was taken by the Capital while Katniss was taken by Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and District 13. The Capital is using Peeta to taunt Katniss and District 13. The more interviews that are released with Peeta the frailer and frightened he looks which breaks Katniss’s heart and makes her more determined to get him back. But the more Katniss, District 13 and the Capital play cat and mouse the deadlier the attacks are against the lesser districts.
            Eventually Peeta, Johanna (Jena Malone) who had also been taken, and Finnick’s girlfriend Annie are rescued and brought back to District 13. Annie and Johanna are alright. Peeta has been brainwashed so terribly that he attacks Katniss almost killing her. The Capital injected him with Tracker Jacker venom to make him hallucinate and then made him fear Katniss to the point where he would kill her if he saw her.
            Mockingjay was a good movie. I will not say it was great because it is a set up movie for part two so it was a little slow with not as much action. Also Catching Fire was by far the best book and the best movie. I did like its message of fighting for freedom to not be oppressed anymore. It is amazing how much this movie is reflecting what is happening in America and several places around the world at the time of this writing. I can only hope that Mockingjay will have a cultural significance some day when we look back on the year 2014. Katniss is inspiring for so many young people. She inspires young people to believe they can make a difference in the world. And I believe we all can especially in this day and age with social media and mass communication being what it is today. Katniss and her story in this movie are definitely an inspiration for me. Even though the story is not my favorite Mockingjay was absolutely worth seeing. The cast is fantastic, the direction was exciting, and there were plenty of scenes that were intense. I am so looking forward to the second part of Mockingjay next year. 

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