Mockingjay meh

As I wrote earlier, I very much wanted to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.  I've watched and mostly enjoyed the previous three films in the series.  I entered the theater with great hopes for this one.

I left decidedly put off by it, my attitude ranging from annoyance to indifference.

I'm quite puzzled as to why I feel this way.  I knew the setup and the poorly constructed world and the nonsensical pseudo-science that informed it, and I happily accepted those in the past movies.  The cast, including and especially lead Jennifer Lawrence, did all they could to make me care about the characters.  The multiple endings certainly didn't help my attitude, but I've been fine with those in other films.  The completely silly plot couldn't have been the cause, because I've been fine with similarly dumb plots; ref. Spectre, which I enjoyed.

For reasons I cannot articulate, even now, hours after the movie ended, I find it off-putting.

No one else in my group had a similar reaction, and several quite liked it.

I thus find myself in an awkward position, unable to recommend it wholeheartedly but suspicious of my own reaction.  So, the best I can say is this:  if you enjoyed the previous films in the series (which I did), then you're likely (based on the reactions of others in my group) to enjoy this one--even though I came away put off by it.

The Hunger Games: Mockinjay, - Part 1

is the beginning of a fun and reasonable end to this series of movies, but it is just that:  the beginning of the end.  It is not the end, not any sort of conclusion at all.  The movie stops simply because a little over two hours have passed and something dramatic occurred; nothing comes to any sort of real resolution.

I knew that going in, so I didn't mind, but it is the key factor to consider in whether to see this one in the theater. 

As for the half of the final film that this installment is, as I said, it's a fun ride.  Jennifer Lawrence turns in her usual strong performance.  The supporting cast is generally good, though Julianne Moore, as the President of District 13, plays the role so coldly that it's hard to imagine anyone ever electing her.  We get action and sentiment in reasonable measures, with a just barely tolerable amount of angsting to fill the spaces. 

I'm glad I went, and I'll go see the final chapter next November.  If you are like me and don't mind waiting for the last film, check it out.  Otherwise, catch it on DVD next year right before you head to the theater for Part 2.

The Hunger Games

I haven't read these books, but with all the hype I had to check out the movie. I also wanted to see where on the spectrum of teen-oriented blockbusters it fell. Was it at the terrible end, down there with the Twilight movies? Or, was it at the high end, hanging out with the Harry Potters?

I'm happy to report that I'm glad I went to The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it, and I can see its appeal for the YA audience. The main story--plucky teens fighting to the death--has a sort of unpleasant but undeniable built-in appeal, and the actors and script delivered reasonably well on the device. The corrupt society that stages these games was clearly corrupt, with the director and writer missing no opportunity to show you that most of these folks in the Capitol are decadent and bad. I learned, for example, that in the future all rich people will have really long fake eyelashes. Good to know.

Aside from those overly broad brush strokes, the film did a fine job of making you care about the youthful leads and of keeping you moving fast enough that you were willing to suspend your disbelief about the basic concept.

I definitely recommend seeing it.

As for its place on the YA blockbuster continuum, it's in the upper third but not the top. It towers over the dreadful Twilight movies, but it falls well short of the Potter flicks. The key reason is probably that, as my wise daughter observed, almost everyone wants to live in Harry Potter's world, even to be Harry or one of the other kids at Hogwarts, while almost no one wants to be Katniss Everdeen. We want to root for her, and we do, but few of us want to be sent into a fight to the death with a bunch of other kids. (Kyle, you may be a notable exception. Get over it.)

So, see the film, expect to have a good time, but if you're not already a huge Hunger Games fan, don't expect to come away completely in love with it.

Two interesting action flicks, one opening day

March 23 will bring the opening of two action films I want to see, a rare (for this time of year) opening-day collision of similar movies.

One, most people will want to catch.



The Hunger Games is certain to be the blockbuster for that weekend.

The movie I want to see even more, though, probably won't open then in Raleigh.



Face it, The Raid: Redemption appears to be composed entirely of awesome.

My solution to this dilemma is simple: see them both as quickly as I can.