dvd of the week
The third film in the dystopian sci-fi series about income inequality, political cynicism and young people turned into killers against their will, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, is based on one half of the third novel of Suzanne Clark’s trilogy. The second and final part will be released next November. While not as great as Catching Fire, which in itself was better than the first film, simply titled The Hunger Games, Mockingjay – Part 1 is a thrilling, unnerving, and expertly made set up for what is expected to be an explosive and what hopefully will be a fantastic finale to the series. I wish they’d not split the book in two and made the audience suffer such a horrific cliffhanger, but clearly the studio, Lionsgate, wanted to wring out as much cash as possible from the franchise. Francis Lawrence’s direction balances the science fiction action with scenes of more grounded emotional power, utilizing the extraordinary acting abilities of the cast that also include Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks (particularly hilarious this time), Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci and Natalie Dormer. Jennifer Lawrence (no relation to Francis) is given the biggest emotions to work with, and she goes big with them. However, I’m hoping than in Part 2, she does less crying and more ass-kicking.
