Unless the audience read the books or has recently watched “Catching Fire” on Netflix, viewers of the first part of “Mockingjay” were left in the dark, fumbling to remember why Katniss Everdeen went from being controlled by the Capitol to being manipulated by an underground rebellion.
The Hunger Games franchise has done an adequate job in getting big name actors over the years, including Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and the newly added Julianne Moore and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
But the acting felt lazy, even with Jennifer Lawrence, the face of the franchise and one of the best and brightest actors out there.
How in the world does the acting feel so sub-par? The franchise even added Mahershala Ali from the critically acclaimed show “House of Cards,” and Natalie Dormer from “Game of Thrones,” both relevant actors. Director Francis Lawrence gave them the proper amount of screen time, but not the drama to show them off. The actors were there, but they just didn’t get the chance to show off their talent — to really act. The drama of the plot cannot always carry the story.
It is amazing that after three movies and countless efforts to get the audience to sympathize with him, Peeta is still the least favorable character. The Hunger Games franchise continues to create some of the major conflict out of the love triangle of Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Katniss still cannot make up her mind between cuddle buddy Peeta and action hunk Gale, a major theme throughout the movie. The love triangle is a crucial part in the story, but it could’ve been executed in a way that makes Katniss, the character with the most strength and integrity, not look so flighty.
With the absence of the actual hunger games, which provided most of the action in the first and second film, the filmmakers substituted the violence for intense images of dead people. A little intense for a PG-13 movie, but still added a much-needed edge and reality to the movie.
Mockingjay didn’t live up to the first two. The cinematic team set themselves up beautifully for success — however, they were not able to pull it off. It’s sad to see, given it is such a beloved franchise, but it is definitely a movie the makers will have to put past them and try harder to live up to the hype.