When last we left our heroine, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) had just thrown the country of Panem into turmoil by disrupting the latest edition of the Hunger Games. Instead of being a symbol of oppression for the masses, this nationally televised event has served as a platform for rebellion, which is based in District 13, a section of the country that had supposedly been wiped off the map.
However, this military-based society built a massive underground city where its leader, President Coin (Julianne Moore) has been waiting for a sign to move against the capital. She gets it in Katniss, who, having been shuttled to 13, is hesitant to help. She fears that anything she may do to foster revolution will result in harm being done to her boyfriend Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who she suspects is being held against his will to push forward President Snow’s (Donald Sutherland) agenda.
As with the first two entries in the series, Lawrence is the straw that stirs the drink here. Her unwavering conviction in the role of Katniss is obviously infectious as her peers in the film up their game whenever they share the screen with her, while the actress is never in danger of being overshadowed by the veteran members of the cast. She manages to invest a sense of urgency in the film that it otherwise lacks.
And while it might not be fair to say that her efforts alone make this overlong episode bearable, I would be hard-pressed bringing to mind a scene from Mockingjay where she wasn’t front and center.
For a full review, go to: http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2014-11-20/chuck-koplinski-stars-conviction-saves-overlong-mockingjay-pt-1.
Chuck's Movie Picks 