All right, so this is still probably the best film on the list, and it would be dishonest to lambaste this picture as a fully-fledged incarnation of evil. But you have to hate it on principal alone, really, given that it pretty much stands for everything that is wrong with Hollywood today. Which is to say, Mockingjay - despite the protests of its cast, who have been briefed to cite the split as integral - should not have been two films; this (mostly) dreary placeholder stands as a shrug-inducing bore. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, then, hones in on Katniss Everdeen in the wake of her second tournament win (if you can call it that), as she's groomed as a kind of poster-girl for an uprising against the Capitol. The story is inherently interesting, but it's dulled under the tutelage of a flick that is clearly moving at a slower pace than needs be; when the film ends, it's impossible to feel satisfied in any capacity; a single, three-hour film would have done the book better justice. A shame.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
