The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I (2014), PG-13, ★★1/2

Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence going to battle.

As peace around the world go well in general in one point in history, some moronic disagreement starts a war between nations such as WWI and WWII. In this movie, it's not the entire world that the Capitol is trying to keep an eye of, but 12 districts. However, District 12 is bombed and all of the citizens of that district has now relocated to an underground facility called District 13. What Katniss in Catching Fire was gutsy, but, from the point of view of the Capitol, foolish. This movie explores the politics more than the previous two films on how to fix the situation and the result is that even though it is mostly supported by the strong performances, the film seems to be sluggish with what to do and to observe how people survive after an eventful and somber time. It spends too much time on that until we get to the last 30 minutes.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is confused and upset as to what the Capitol had done to District 12 after what she did in the Quarter Quell in Catching Fire. Katniss is brought to her room, hearing Finnick (Sam Claflin) crying in his room, knowing that Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Johanna (Jena Malone), and his love, Annie (Stef Dawson) hostage in the Capitol.

Katniss is being escorted by Colonel Boggs (Mahershala Ali) to a room, which almost looks like a mini war room from Dr. Strangelove, where she finds Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), Plutarch Heavensbee, the former Hunger Games gamekeeper (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and District 13 President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). Coin tells Katniss that there have been riots in every district and the Capitol is taking the action to maintain control in every district. Plutarch plans that Katniss becomes the Mockingly to prepare propaganda videos against the Capitol. Katniss refuses and says that Peeta should been saved instead of her and leaves. Plutarch tells Coin that Katniss should go to the formerly known District 12 to observe what happened.

Katniss reunites with Gale (Liam Hemsworth) on a trip to the destroyed District 12 and when she goes to her house in the Victors Village, she finds Prim's cat, Buttercup and a vase with white wilted roses, one still blossoming, provided by the Capitol. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) addresses a speech regarding the actions seen in the games, stating that any action against the Capitol will be punished, and any Mockingly reference is forbidden.

When Katniss comes back to District 13, she finds Prim (Willow Shields) and her mother and members of District 13 are having a meal when a video from Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) starts to play and he interviews Peeta. Katniss is astounded when she finds out that Peeta is alive and Peeta says to put down their weapons to avoid a civil war. Katniss agrees to become the Mockingjay on the condition that Peeta, Johanna and Annie are rescued.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore.

There is a lot to like from this movie but I felt this movie, as a buildup to Part 2, is too much of a buildup. I felt that the first hour justifies the gloominess and the devastation that the districts go through as we observe the consequences that Katniss did when she changed the Hunger Games. It takes too long to get going as we hear the politics and strategies on how to restore peace again. Again, it's too much of a buildup into the conclusion of the whole series. Even though it is fine, I felt that even though they try to do something, all of the strategies have to set up a disagreement or a conflict. It got me a little aggravated.

When the second half does get going, the action sequence looks great but drags on as they are attempting a rescue mission as they place so many strategies to get President Snow's attention, distracting and killing the Peacekeepers, and cutting off the Capitol's power to get him. It is well-disciplined and complex, but takes forever to get to the payoff.

The performances are the best elements of the film. Jennifer Lawrence is still convincing and still presents a great character as the face of rebellion, but also still creates a believable character in this dystopic-young adult series in a year of mixed young adult films. Every actor has their moment, especially Elizabeth Banks as Effie, who wants to still be beautiful and presentable even though the clothes are not that great and gray in District 13. Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman kind of have a Boogie Nights-Magnolia reunion as they are side by side strategizing what to do for Katniss' best interests. Hoffman's performance is still an example how great an actor he is, especially in A Most Wanted Man.

Again, the first hour sort of bored me a little bit as we just observed the specifics as to what Gale said to Katniss in the last scene of Catching Fire. I believed what Gale said in the end, so why did we need to observe to look at the destruction? Oh, just to see the white rose knowing that the Capitol did it. Well, duh. But, the second hour restored my faith a little bit more as it kicked up a notch to become a bit more exciting but still drags. However, the ending is satisfying, but not enough to end, if you know what I mean. It just stops abruptly.

The performances are still ambitious and convincing, the production design is fine but a bit plain also relevant to what is going on, the direction by Francis Lawrence is still spot-on as there is not a lot of jumbled camerawork, it is staged well. However, Part I is an example of exposition and well-plotted filler that just sets up Part II. It is a movie that is watchable for half of the film and a movie that makes me look at my watch for another half of the film.

Out of all of the young adult films that came out this year, I would watch this movie first and then rent The Fault in Our Stars and end it with that. But, hey, I know a lot of younger viewers will not care but they will be disappointed and jumping up and down for excitement in the first hour, they will be on the edge of their seats for the second hour. I am mixed with this film where it has most elements to like about, but, ultimately, it is a film that I cannot exactly say run to when on the way to the theaters.

**1/2