The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt I (***)

Hollywood continues to puzzle me. I know the reasoning a studio would want to split one story into two separate films: greater box office yield, more DVD sales and related merchandise... What hurts is realizing that these producers are willing to compromise artistic endeavor and story for a fast buck. This is not to say Mockingjay is a bad film - in fact I enjoyed it for what it was worth. My problem is that I don't even know if I'm invested enough to see the final film when it releases next year.

Mockingjay moves past the macabre futuristic children-killing genre the past two films were to become something more reminiscent of a good military story. We have the villains and heroes established, and now they are put to the test. In fact, the lack of the titular "Hunger Games" that have been the centerpiece of the first two films makes this a difficult movie to define. There is perhaps one true action scene, and a majority of the film is spent trying to understand Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and why she feels like crying all the time. Maybe we can settle on sci-fi for now.

After breaking the game, quite literally, in the abrupt ending to Catching Fire, here we see a new District, District 13, housing weapons and soldiers and civilians who have joined a rebellion against Panem and its leader: the Santa Clause-esque President Snow. Their main mission becomes unifying the separate districts to make such a rebellion possible. They will need all the help they can get. My God, Panem soldiers are futuristic as we would expect, with automatic weapons and full body armor. These rebels are armed with sticks and stones... It's going to be a bloody, epic finale (if my knowledge of 2-part sequels is any good).

Is there enough material in this film to justify it on its own accord? I would say no. So much of the film is shot in dark, gloomy underground settings, and we see Katniss have constant nightmares and emotional traumas... For being such a best-selling book, I'm wondering why readers don't feel compelled to find something with a little more joy. The film is essentially a buildup to a climax that never happens (in fact, I think that will be the final film). The question then becomes, what's the point of the first half at all?

(Awards potential: Best Costume Design)