9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
The Release Date: November 21st, 2014
What It Has Going For It: See what I meant about the controversial entries? Now, before you send hate mail flooding into my inbox, know this: I did not think The Hunger Games was a weak movie by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, it dropped many key elements of Suzanne Collins brilliant novel for the sole purpose of time-keeping, but the first entry in the new blockbuster franchise certainly struck gold with its casting of the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence, as well as working its Big Brother-style angle with marvellous bravado even if the running time didnt allow for full exploitation a la Brave New World. I have no doubt that The Hunger Games franchise can and will for the most part rise to Brave New Heights in years to come, with the reach of its storylines extending to far darker territory and the performing capacity of its stars extending even further still. If youre willing to accept, then, that I truly respect Lionsgates adaptation of the original book, then please read on to discover just why Im including the first part of Mockingjay on this list.
Why Its Already Doomed: Part Ones are always hard to master for filmmakers, with many viewers simply interpreting these penultimate instalments as mere prolonged preludes to the epic final conclusion. Though I thought Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 to be the series finest hour thanks to its daring deviation from the repetitive school setting, it seems fair to say that Im probably in the minority there, with overall critical and commercial reception proving far more successful for Part 2. By the time we get to 2014, at which point we will have had the final Twilight film, all three Hobbit adventures and perhaps even more split-stories arrive on the big screen, Im going to make a bold claim and say that the novelty of breaking up narratives will have truly worn off. For any franchises making a start around the time, their production teams will have the benefit of knowing to back off with hindsight, but Lionsgate and company have already backed themselves down a road from which there is no return. Mockingjay is to many fans of Collins fantasy books the weakest of the three instalments, in no small part due to its weak opening, and with Josh Hutcherson managing to outclass even Robert Pattinson as one of the most looks-before-talent members of the cast in this respect, I dont see the wonky love triangle sketchily established in the original holding enough promise to sustain viewers interest through what will no doubt be an uneventful beginning of the end. If there are truly viewers out there already considering waiting to hear the general masses opinions on the first part of The Hobbit (though to me that seems to border on insanity- this is Peter Jackson were talking about, right?), then I cant help but think that within two years time the level of (unnecessary?) cynicism will have grown to gross proportions. The film industry remains ever unpredictable, as do the fanbases of its most beloved franchises, so this remains perhaps the most uncertain entry on the list, but mark my words- if The Hunger Games doesnt feel the brunt of sequelitis affect its box office rankings soon, then it at least marks one of the final franchises ever that wont.