Mockingjay {Movie Review}

Mockingjay Movie Review

This will forever be my favorite story to tell about Mockingjay: I went with my best friend to go see it during opening week, and she fell asleep during the movie. I am not even kidding about this; I looked over, and she had quietly dozed off and was missing the {very boring} film. I must say, I was extremely disappointed in this installment of the Hunger Games series. Catching Fire still holds to be the best, in my opinion. My only hope is that part two will redeem part one.

    Mockingjay was fine, as far as telling the story well and laying down the plot; what it lacked was the proper action. With as many parts that they could have made interesting, you’d think it would be a great movie. However, I found myself becoming impatient during most of it; it was quickly failing to keep my interest. Peeta was seen hardly at all (which was understandable) but Katniss and Gale seemed like an old, depressed married couple. The highest point of the movie was building up quite nicely and then abruptly fell flat. My favorite scene would probably have to be when Katniss is giving her “speech” to President Snow and all of Panem after a hospital in District 8 had been bombed. Her famous line “Fire is catching; and if we burn, you burn with us” rang throughout the theater, and I finally saw Katniss the Mockingjay instead of Katniss the mope. What happened to our strong antagonist? All we see is her weak side; her brokenness as she finds District 12, the tears running down her face as she sees what the Capitol has done to Peeta, and her horror and fear as she realizes that President Snow has set a trap.

    This is definitely okay. I am not saying that Katniss is not allowed to have feelings; she is a human being and it makes her much more real to see her weaknesses. Despite this, I felt that it was too much weakness. There is a point where you look at yourself, stand up, dust yourself off, and say, “I can get through this. I am the Mockingjay. I will not let the Capitol tear me down; I have survived so much. I am strong.” Instead, the Mockingjay seemed like a spineless Bella Swan. This isn’t Twilight.

    I think the media has missed the point of the Hunger Games. Willow Shields, the actress who plays Prim, has touched on my same opinion. The media seems to say, “Team Peeta or Team Gale?” And that is the first question everyone else asks to each other. Personally, I don’t think the Hunger Games is about the love triangle at all. They seem to miss the entire point: A sadistic and controlling government is getting out of hand. A regular girl is the one to step up and say, “This is wrong, why is nobody doing anything about this?” She is the only one, or rather, the first one to be brave enough to stand against something that is immoral and wrong, to speak out, and to take action. I think this message is important in real life; in many different aspects of life. If something is wrong, whatever it is, if those in power are controlling it, nobody tends to speak up. Because they feel insignificant and like their voice does not matter. I am here to say that everyone’s voice matters; look what a girl from District 12 did to save her entire nation! We need to stop being quiet and start voicing our own opinions, being ourselves, and standing against those in power who are doing wrong things.

    I feel like this message was not included in Mockingjay. It felt like they forgot what was really important here; except for a few scenes that showed the real Katniss Everdeen and not a sniveling seventeen year old girl. I think the best part of the movie, personally, was the soundtrack. I have included the best songs below.