Sociable Movie Guy
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A Well-Made Follow-Up that Leaves You Wanting For MoreFilms based on Young-Adult (YA) novels are so hot right now. From Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Host’ to James Dashner’s ‘Maze Runner’ all have appeared in the silver screen. In 2012, we were given one YA novel-based film about a dystopian world called Panem whose elite create an annual deadly game to show how powerful they are. You guessed it right! I’m talking about ‘The Hunger Games’ that is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name. The sequel came last year in which the previous winners from the previous Hunger Games entered the battle field once again in the so-called ‘Quarter Quell’. Now the main characters in this adventure saga are no longer worrying about the vicious game. In ‘Mockingjay: Part 1’, Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) status as the symbol of rebellion has just gotten stronger due to her brave act in the Quarter Quell. It is used by the everybody-thought-it-has-gone District 13’s President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) to lit the rebellion against The Capitol. But there’s a catch, her best friend Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is captured by The Capitol. Together with her allies, she must encourage people in all districts to rebel and save Peeta from The Capitol’s hands. Frances Lawrence helms this second sequel and he did a pretty good job here. He successfully sustains the gloomy tone from the two previous films and realistically shows the violence of The Capitol. The performances here are also worth to watch. Jennifer Lawrence brings her A-game to the surface while the rest of the supporting characters give nice performances. I personally really like Elizabeth Banks’ portrayal of the vibrant Effie Trinket. Her performance is so engaging despite only given a little amount of screen time. My other favorite is Natalie Dormer’s performance as Cressida. Her American accent (she’s a British) and gesture are so magnetic you’ll find it hard to get your eyes off of her every time she’s in the frame. The sound department did a fantastic job too in amplifying the horror of The Capitol and the spirit of the rising rebellion. Without the heart-trembling sound, most of the scenes in ‘Mockingjay: Part 1’ will definitely feel bland. And it would be a shame if I didn’t mention Lorde’s song as one of the elements which sew the film into one good element. Her ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ perfectly captures the events in the film. And it is an unbelievably catchy song too. The disappointment is sadly on Moore’s table, I honestly expected a lot more than what she has given for her role. Make no mistake here, her performance is far from bad. But the fact that she’s a four-time Oscar nominee (and a potential winner for her role in this year’s ‘Still Alice’) makes it hard for me not to expect more from her. But hey, life’s a cycle ain’t it, you can’t always be on the top of your world. Yes, I forgive you Ms. Moore. Lastly, I can’t seem to review this one without thinking about why they decided to split the film into two, despite the original source is only a one-part novel. (SPOILER ALERT!) Besides the marketing strategy to gain more fortune, to me this film works as the appetizer as well as a teaser for next film’s big fight against The Capitol. I must admit that I haven’t read the novel, but there must be a final climax battle between The Rebel and The Capitol right? (well at least that’s my expectation for ‘Mockingjay: Part 2’). That resulted in the film’s lack of intensity and excitement which might strike some viewers as a bit boring. But then again, I think this is a smart strategy to take where expectation comes to play. If ‘Mockingjay: Part 1’ already filled with intensity and excitement, viewers would expect more for the next film. Then, in the end it would be incredibly hard to make a more intense and exciting final film to surpass viewers’ expectation.
Here’s hoping that ‘Mockingjay: Part 2’ will be more intense and better too! Score: 4/5
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AuthorA self-acclaimed movie guy who likes to socialize |